A Cloak of Lies
by Ambrose51
Summary: After the Oblivion Crisis, all is well. That is, until a new enemy of the Empire appears and goes on an apparently unstoppable rampage. Will anyone rise to stand against them, or will their own actions be their undoing?
1. Prologue: A New Age

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Prologue: A New Age_

Chancellor Ocato's coronation party was going well. All he had invited had attended, beautiful music was playing, food and drink were plentiful, and the new Emperor watched over it all, sitting calmly on his throne, which had been placed at the end of the hall, high above the festivities.

The death of the last Emperor and his heir had been sudden, and had struck a grievous blow to the Empire, one made all the worse by the invasion of the Daedra, a period of time later known as the Oblivion Crisis. Everyone panicked; they thought that Armageddon had come and that they were all going to die. Many did.

But then, out of the blue, a great champion of the Empire arrived and struck down the demonic hordes and their vile masters, the cult of the Mythic Dawn. The period afterwards was a time of great peace, at least for the Imperial province, which had been ravaged by the Oblivion Crisis. Ocato ruled as the Chancellor, leading the Elder Council towards a hopefully brighter future. The Champion became a great general of the Empire; leading countless campaigns and putting down many rebellions in the foreign provinces, Morrowind and Skyrim especially.

It was not for ten more years that Ocato dared to attempt to usurp the throne of the Empire. Though there were no more heirs, the mythology and history of the position was so great, that it seemed almost a travesty to attempt and take it. However, after many lengthy meetings of the Elder Council, and due to the many accomplishments Ocato achieved during his rule as Chancellor, he was eventually accepted as the new Emperor.

Which leads us back to today, the night after his coronation. It was getting late, and many of the people attending were looking upwards towards Ocato, expecting him to make a speech. A great silence overtook the crowd gathered in Ocato's new estate, a massive mansion located in the center of the Talos Plaza District.

He rose out of his throne, made to look like the famous Dragon throne, and began to speak. But before his first sentence could be completed, a collective gasp ran through the crowd. A blade pierced through Ocato's stomach, lifting him off the ground as blood flew through the air. The blade retracted, and his now lifeless body fell to the ground. Behind him, flickering in the light, was a vague form with only an outline.

As the crowd watched in horror, the form coalesced into a solid body. A tall Dunmer stood there, garbed completely in a blue cloak, blue gloves, and blue boots. His bright clothing contrasted with his dark skin and his blazing, red eyes; eyes filled with rage. A snarl formed on his lips, and he raised his sword, still dripping with blood, and pointed it at the crowd. All around the room men appeared, as if out of thin air. They were all garbed in the same clothing as the Dunmer, completely in blue. They drew their swords at the same time as the Legion guards in the room regained their senses and drew theirs. But before combat could be joined, arrows whistled through the air, impaling the guards. They all fell over, as each had been hit by at least five arrows each. Those in the crowd screamed and finally had the good sense to run.

Unfortunately, they would not get away. The Dunmer flicked a finger, and all of the doors closed with a slam. He calmly sat down in Ocato's now vacant throne and shouted but one sentence in a loud, harsh voice. "Kill them all."

The guards that rushed through the building towards the hall where the party was being hosted tried in vain to force open the doors, but it was no use. They could only listen to the screams of agony from those who died within.

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Meanwhile, far above the Imperial City, a single figure floated in the air. He was cloaked in same clothing as those who had killed the Chancellor, but he was far, far more powerful than any of them. He snapped his fingers and then began to speak, but his voice was loud and booming, loud enough to wake all the denizens of the city from their slumber. Those outside looked up, but all they could see was a blinding, blue light.

"Hear me, all you who live in ignorance. We have lurked in the shadows of your almighty _Empire _for too long. We have witnessed your supreme arrogance, watching as you conquered all those around you and began pushing the world ever closer to destruction. You thought yourselves invincible, relying on your precious Legion and your Blades to protect you. Now, I have decided that it is time for you to be destroyed. For we tolerated you for many years, but now, with your great lineage of kings extinct, we shall watch no longer. Now, we will act. It shall begin here, your destruction, with this city that represents the heart of your power, the jewel of your Empire. Then, we shall destroy your Legion and your Blades, remove from power this Dark Brotherhood, annihilate this vile Thieves Guild, and wipe clean the slate of the world. All shall perish before us and none shall be spared. Here and now, I declare the end of not only this Empire, but of you as a people as well. Now bear witness to the power of the Order of the Blue Rose!"

When his speech was finished, the ground beneath the Imperial City began to shake, and the ground cracked. Flames rose from the ground and chaos erupted in the streets as people ran for their lives. The figure in the air raised his arms and the sapphire amulet around his neck began to glow even brighter. In a massive explosion, the ground underneath the city exploded in a brilliant flash that could be seen for miles and miles. More explosions followed, and it wasn't long before the entire city was completely leveled. The figure allowed himself to float back down to the ground and landed beside the Dunmer and his soldiers.

"Now, with this first step completed, we can move on to the next stage. Darnmon, go to Skyrim and eliminate the leader of the Empire's army. He has aged some since the Oblivion Crisis, but do not underestimate him, as he still holds great power. The others are already completing their tasks as we speak, so you must be quick if you wish to catch up."

The Dunmer bowed his head and backed up, withdrawing a scroll from underneath his cloak. He muttered a few words and he and all the soldiers vanished in a flash of red light. The hooded figure that had just destroyed the Imperial City remained on the hill where he had been standing, watching the smoldering ruins of what had, until just a few moments ago, been the grandest city in the world.

**A/N**: _So, this was my first story on this site. Though I plan on updating this story regardless, I would truly appreciate reviews. I don't even care if it's a flame, as long as it has some eloquence. After all, if you're going to insult me, you might as well put some effort into it. Seriously though, constructive criticism is more than welcome, and if anyone spots any errors, then please tell me._


	2. Chapter 1: Happenings

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter 1: Happenings_

In the city of Cheydinhal, all was quiet. It was quite late and all respectable people had long since retired to their beds. None yet knew of the destruction of the Imperial City, but their peaceful slumber would be broken soon enough anyway.

Hidden by the dark, a lone figured, garbed in a blue cloak, made his way through the streets. He stopped in front of an old house that looked as if it had long been abandoned. But the cloaked figure knew better. He knew what secrets lay inside and he knew who guarded them. The Dark Brotherhood.

It had taken a very long time to track down and capture one of the elusive assassins, but once they had, it hadn't taken them long to find his place of origin. As soon as they had, he had been dispatched to destroy it. He had been offered a full squad to accompany him, but he respectfully declined. He was more of a solitary warrior than any of his brethren, and though he was often reprimanded by those few who ranked above him for it, he simply found it more pleasant to work alone. Besides, fighting alone meant less of a chance of being stabbed in the back.

He walked up to the boarded up door and raised the massive war-hammer that he held in his left hand above his head. The door shattered beneath his power with a very loud, almost metallic clang. A sign of magical reinforcement perhaps. But that meant nothing to this warrior.

He made his way into the building, and, as instructed, down into the basement. There, he quickly located a break in the wall and made his way through. At the end of the tunnel was a strange looking door that gave off an eerie glow. While the sight might have scared many others, the man simply ignored it and walked straight up to the door.

Then, a strange voice began speaking. It took the man a few moments to realize that the sound was coming from the door itself. "What is the color of night?"

The man then lowered his hood and stared at the door for only a moment before replying, "Sanguine, my brother."

The door then opened before him, and he stepped through, the light now revealing his face. He was a Nord, with long, blonde hair and blue eyes. He was extremely tall, even for a Nord, and it was obvious that he was extremely strong from the few muscles you could see and were not hidden. His eyes swept the room, and it was not long before they came to rest on a young Breton man, who was staring at him with eyes wide in horror. He opened his mouth to scream, but could shout nothing before a spell hit him in the chest, sending him flying towards the opposite wall. His body froze in mid air and shattered upon hitting the wall.

The man made his way past the frozen remains and through another door into the sleeping quarters of the Brotherhood. Three people were sleeping here, an Argonian, an Imperial, and an Altmer. The Nord made his way silently to each of the sleeping bodies and laid a single hand on their shoulders, one that glowed a faint blue. Each of Brotherhood members were frozen to their beds. As the Nord finished his work, a figure leaped at him from behind, with an Elven dagger aimed at his neck. The Nord was faster. He spun around, swinging the war-hammer with one hand towards the oncoming Khajit. The war-hammer hit the Khajit in the arm, and a sickening crunching sound could be heard before he flew back to the ground. As the Khajit struggled to get back up, the Nord walked over to stand above him. He looked down at him with some semblance of pity before releasing more of his magicka and freezing him as well.

The other Brotherhood members were not so easily killed. By the end of the night, another Argonian, a Dunmer, and two Bosmer's were dead, frozen solid. The Nord, while not severely injured, had taken several hits and was bleeding from several places. However, if he felt any pain from it, he simply ignored it, as he continued onwards with his task. He quickly located the room that housed the leader of the Sanctuary and busted open the door. It appeared that the leader had already been killed, as no one was there. He went through the room, and it didn't take him long to locate what he was looking for. A stack of papers, neatly piled and ordered, hidden in a locked chest that had been hidden behind a false wall. These papers were his true objective, for what was written on it was information on every contract every member of the Brotherhood from this Sanctuary had undertaken, and an explanation of how they performed their tasks. Joint operations between Sanctuaries were included as well. In here, without a doubt, would be the locations of all the other Sanctuaries.

The Nord smiled at his accomplishment and made his way back out of the building. But before he did so, he grabbed a torch from the Sanctuary, carried it back to the main level, and dropped it on the floor. By the end of the night, all that would remain of the house was a pile of ashes.

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Meanwhile, in the wilds of Skyrim, there was a bright flash of red light. Nearly three dozen figures appeared, all garbed in blue cloaks. The Dunmer known as Darnmon scowled; they had arrived in the middle of a blizzard. He raised his hood over his face to hide it from the biting cold. Oh, how he hated the cold. He motioned with one hand for his men to move forwards, towards a group of lights that could only come from a large military encampment.

As they came closer, Darnmon squinted at the light, trying to make out any figures that might be guards or sentries. Unfortunately, due to the fierce snowstorm, nothing could be seen. He motioned with his hand again, and all of the figures disappeared, cloaked by invisibility spells. In this kind of weather, no one would see them coming. The group of soldiers made their way continually forward, and even came to the border of the camp, but still, they encountered no resistance.

Puzzled, Darnmon crept ahead of the rest in an attempt to locate any enemies. There were none. Now getting angry, he snapped his fingers and appeared in the middle of the encampment. Soon after, the rest of the soldiers uncloaked next to him as well. He snapped his fingers again, and all of a sudden, the snowstorm died down, at least around him and his men. It continued onwards several dozen feet away, and it looked as if the snow was battering away at some invisible shield.

Darnmon looked down at the ground, and stared in shock at the sight that greeted him. Dozens, if not hundreds of people lay dead on the ground. Many were fully armored in Imperial Legion armor, and all of them had been horribly mauled beyond recognition. It looked as if some powerful animal had run amok through the army. One thing Darnmon did notice, was that there appeared to be no golden armor shining among the dead.

As he inspected the corpses, a voice shouted out from behind him. He spun around and soon spotted a young Breton man, clothed in the same blue cloak. "Hey there, Darnmon. Sorry to say that you're a little late to the party. Me and Malinus already had our fun with these guys."

Darnmon only snarled in response and moved to draw his sword, but another voice, this one far deeper than the young Breton, boomed out from his left. "Easy there, Dunmer. No need to get all worked up over a few hundred kills. I'm sure there will be plenty more for an animal like yourself to claim."

Darnmon turned and shot a fireball at the man who had spoken, but the cloaked figure simply stepped to the side and easily dodged it. He made an annoyed sound and then spoke again. "Really now, watch where you throw those things. You might actually hit something someday and cause a fire."

"That's enough Malinus, let's not make the Master's pet any angrier than he already is. Sorry for stealing your task Darnmon, but Malinus and I got finished with ours early, so we figured we'd come and help you. Only you weren't here, and the soldiers started asking questions about why we just showed up in the middle of their camp, and, well, I think you can see how that all turned out. Really though, you can't just blame us, as Claudius was here as well. Not that he did anything but watch with that smug smirk of his, but you get the point… Right?" The young Breton said in a quick flurry of words.

Darnmon simply snarled again and was preparing to throw another fireball when a third voice, not as deep as Malinus's but not as high pitched of the Breton's began to speak with authority.

"That's quite enough, all of you. If you can't learn to get along, then you have no right to be commanders in this army. And I heard that comment of yours, Aleron. Now, return to Gardenhall immediately and wait there for further orders." Everyone turned to look at the newcomer, and he did indeed have a smug smirk on his face. He was an Imperial with green eyes, and he was fairly short, with no apparent muscles. His hair was jet black and messy, and he altogether looked very weak. However, he carried himself with an undeniable power and wisdom, one that even the most foolish person could see.

All three men just stared at him for a moment before bowing their heads and backing away. They all removed scrolls from underneath their cloaks, and it wasn't long before a great many flashes of red light appeared. Soon, the plain was empty except for Claudius and the dead bodies. He turned and walked of into the blizzard, which had now redoubled it's efforts with the lack of a protective shield. He soon disappeared in the snow, but not before one last sentence was spoken. "You can come out now, good sir."

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In a dark room with a high, domed ceiling, three flashes of light appeared. Three figures walked out of the shadows and took their place at the large, oaken, round table. There were ten seats in all, though only four were filled upon their arrival. They sat in their appointed seats and waited for the rest to come.

It was not long before three more flashes of light brightened the room. They sat in the remaining seats, and once everyone was settled, the same cloaked man that had destroyed the Imperial City began to speak. "I am glad that you are all here, for that means that you all must have all accomplished your tasks. Now, what were the results, what exactly did you all accomplish? Joran, how went the extermination of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary?"

"It went well. All of the Dark Brotherhood scum present at the time were killed. I also secured a great many documents, which should contain the locations of the other Sanctuaries."

"Malinus?"

"My mission was a total success. The Blades compound has been destroyed, and a great deal of the city of Bruma was damaged as well. I took several prisoners during the battle, and I've already secured them on the bottom level. It won't be long before they become like all the others."

"Caius?"

"My mission did not go quite so well as the others. Those of the Thieves Guild are cunning, and I did not have any information to go on as to their whereabouts. I did find a beggar who gave me some information on where to find them, but I found nothing. I request to be granted a company to aid me in my search."

"A full company? Will you truly need so many? No, never mind. I trust your judgement on this matter. Request granted. Aleron?"

"My mission went well. I dispatched several squads to each of the Mage's Guild halls. I personally undertook the destruction of the Anvil Mage's Guild and there is nothing left but smoldering ruins. I am confident that my men successfully destroyed their targets as well."

"Rasien?"

"The experiment was successful. I oversaw the process myself, and I am moderately satisfied with the results."

"Claudius?"

"The stone is now at full power. I had to capture a few more souls than I originally intended, but three and eight saw to it that I got them."

"How… Nice of them. Darnmon?"

"I am unsure whether or not my mission was successful, because I was not present for it."

"What do you mean?"

"Three and eight arrived there before me and massacred the Legion stationed there, but I saw no golden armor amongst the dead. I do not know if the Champion is dead or not."

"No matter. In the end, he is just one man. I doubt that he will pose a threat with no army to lead. Alexia?"

"My mission was successful. I located and dispatched the target you assigned me. However, I am, somewhat puzzled as to why I was sent to kill an old man. He did not appear to pose any sort of-"

"It doesn't matter that you understand, all that matters is that you were successful. Eridor?"

"The assault on Skingrad was successful. The city guard never saw it coming. The city is completely under our control."

"Very good, all of you. Here are your new orders. Since you did not complete your orders, Caius, yours shall remain the same. Aleron, Alexia, and Malinus shall aid you. Eridor, you are to take three companies and guard Skingrad. The Legion shall soon be attempting to reform, and I believe that their first target will be Skingrad. Hold it as long as you can. Darnmon, you shall travel to Bravil and raze it. You shall find the city to be quite combustible. Joran, I am giving you command of ten companies. I want you to go to the Summerset Isles and take control. I don't care how you do it, just do it. Rasien, I want you to take over control of the stone. You must also maintain your own experiments. Now, leave all of you. I wish to speak with Claudius by myself."

After a few moments, all of the people who had received their orders vanished in another flash of red light. Only Claudius and the cloaked leader remained. Claudius rose from his seat and exited through the nearby door, and the cloaked fgure followed him. The walked for nearly a half-hour before stopping in front of a set of large, black metal doors. Claudius pushed them open, and motioned for the cloaked figure to go ahead. When he entered, Claudius bowed and closed the door behind him, leaving the cloaked figure alone in the room.

The cloaked figure motioned with one hand, and the room lit up in a bright, green light. There, laying in a bed on the floor, was a young woman. She was an Imperial, and was clothed in an aqua silk robe. She was unconscious, or at least appeared to be, as her long brown hair had fallen over her face. Underneath his hood, the cloaked figure smirked.

While all anyone else would see here was a regular girl, the ancient eyes that viewed her now saw something completely different. He saw a dormant power that no one, not even the young woman, could possibly see.

**A/N:** _So, that was the first real chapter. Hope you all like it. Please review and whatnot._


	3. Chapter 2: Stories, Part One

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter 2: Stories, Part One_

Bravil was burning. That's all Roland could think as he ran through the streets of his home city. Fires raged all around him as he and a few others made their way to the main gate, hoping desperately to escape the chaos. Perhaps if the young Breton had taken a moment to think, he might have wondered exactly how the inferno started, but right now all he cared about was escaping the flames. He continued running for nearly a minute, until one of the buildings that had been engulfed by flames early on fell over directly in his path. Roland jumped backwards just in time, but the two following were not so lucky. They were crushed underneath the flaming debris.

Roland had never been particularly smart or strong, but one thing he had on his side was that, having lived in Bravil his entire life, he knew the city like the back of his hand. He looked around for a moment to ensure he was where he thought he was, then ran down a narrow side-alley to the right. The flames here were so close that he could practically feel it on his skin, but he ignored it and continued forwards. When he emerged on the other side, he found to his relief that the gate was within sight.

That relief soon turned to dread however, when he saw what guarded it. Nearly a dozen figures, all armed with steel bows and longswords, stood before the gate. On the ground in front of them were the countless corpses of those who had attempted to get past them. Arrows had apparently killed almost all of them, and only a few had even gotten within arms reach of the killers.

Unfortunately, in the time it took Roland to get over his shock and begin moving again, one of the guards spotted him. He motioned to his comrades, and three of the men began to run towards him, swords drawn. Roland supposed that they must have run out of arrows. This realization did not help his fears any though, and he ran in the other direction as quickly as his feet would take him. But since he was not really the sort to be in any kind of good shape, he was already quite tired, and it wouldn't be long before the men overtook him.

Then, in an act of supreme luck, Roland tripped on a fallen piece of wood from a building hanging above him. As soon as he hit the ground, the building next to him exploded, incinerating two of the soldiers that had been pursuing him. The third had been engulfed by the flames, but had apparently used some sort of magical shield at the last moment to protect himself. His long, blue cloak was completely gone, revealing a set of shining silver armor underneath. It encased his entire body, except for his head. His face was revealed to be that of a young Imperial. His longsword gleamed in the firelight, and there was a grim expression on his face. He advanced forwards at a slow pace as Roland scrambled backwards, attempting to get back to his feet.

Suddenly, an arrow hit him in the back of the neck. It pierced through his armor, and the Imperial fell over, dead. A Khajiit then jumped down from a balcony above him and retrieved his arrow from the fallen soldier. He paused to look at him for only a moment before shouting, "This one suggests you follow him if you wish to survive this!"

He then took off down the street and Roland got up and followed him, though not before retrieving the fallen soldiers sword and sheath. With it in hand, he ran after the Khajiit who had just saved his life. After what seemed like an eternity of running through the flaming streets, they came to the Larsius River, which ran through the city. The Khajiit jumped in without a moment's hesitation, but Roland simply stared down the water. He couldn't help but think that there must be another way. However, the sound of a building falling behind him convinced him otherwise, and he soon found himself submerged in the filthy water. When he finally surfaced, he looked up only to be hit in the head by more falling debris. He blacked out a moment later, floating in the water.

----------------

When Roland woke up, he found himself lying on the ground outside the city. He got up and looked around only to discover that there was no one near him. It was much later in the day now, and some of the flames that had engulfed the city had begun to die down, while those in other areas had only grown larger. He stared in shock at his lifetime home, and he couldn't help but wonder what he would do now. His foot brushed something on the ground, and he looked down to see the longsword he had taken from the dead soldier. As he looked at it, he came to a decision in his mind. He would take revenge for all his friends and his home that had been destroyed. He would hunt down and kill whoever had caused it. Of course, he would have to learn to fight and all first, but that would come later. Right now, all he wanted to do was find something to eat.

He searched around his surroundings for a little while before finding a berry bush. He smiled to himself and brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. He picked a few dozen and walked back over to where he had been laying before. He then sat down and began to eat, but he had only managed to eat three before a Khajit began to speak behind him. "You know, you might not want to eat those. You don't even know if they're poisonous."

Roland got up and spun around, attempting to draw the sword from it's sheath, but he found that it wouldn't budge. He struggled with it for a few moments before finally pulling it free. However, when he finally did get it free, the sword flew from his grasp and impaled a tree next to the Khajit, He looked nervously towards the Khajiit and rubbed the back of his head. All he could do was hope that he wouldn't kill him.

The Khajiit however, was simply looking on in what appeared to be amusement. Before saying anything else, he began making a strange rasping sound. It took a few moments for Roland to realize that the Khajiit was laughing at him! He felt himself go red in the face, but refrained from saying anything that might make the Khajiit mad.

"You are an interesting one, Breton. Far too wet behind the ears, but still interesting. This one's name is Dro'shanji. It is a pleasure to meet you. This one killed several of the invaders, but they burned the city regardless. It is such a shame. Bravil had been Dro'shanji's home for many years. But there is no changing what has already happened. Now we must continue onwards. We should go to the Imperial City, and explain what occurred here, as this one believes that we were the only survivors. Now come Breton, you can eat your berries on the road."

----------------

"For the last time, my name is Roland!"

"So you continue to say, Breton."

"Then why won't you call me by my name."

The Khajiit spun around and looked at him very carefully before replying, "Because Dro'shanji does not feel like it."

Roland mumbled a curse under his breath, but continued walking behind him. Ever since they had started out, Dro'shanji had never once said his name, and it was really starting to annoy him. Nothing would please him more than abandoning the Khajiit, but he simply couldn't do that. After all, Roland had never left Bravil, so he had no idea where he would go or what he would do. Nevertheless, he did have a plan. Once they reached the Imperial City, he would ditch this annoying Khajiit and join the Legion. Then, he could help to hunt down the murderers that had destroyed his home.

He wondered briefly if you needed any sort of qualifications to join the Legion. You would probably need to know how to use a sword at least. Roland resolved to at least learn how not to kill himself with it on the road. To that end, he would have to ask the Khajiit something. "Dro'shanji, do you think you could teach me how to use this sword?"

Once again, the Khajiit stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him, though this time his view was filled with annoyance. "Are you really that stupid, Breton? Does this one look like he would use a silly metal claw?"

Not knowing how to respond to that, Roland simply stared at Dro'shanji, until the Khajit sighed and spoke again. "Dro'shanji is a Khajit, we do not use your tools of war. All I carry of your make is this bow, because I know no magic and must be able to attack at range. When in close combat, I use my claws. We Khajiit have natural weapons you see, and have no use for your metal claws. So no, this one cannot teach you to use a sword. And I suggest you not attempt to learn on your own either. You'd probably just kill yourself in the attempt, or worse, you might kill Dro'shanji."

The Khajiit then continued walking down the road, and Roland continued following, though now he was cursing fluently under his breath. He could already tell that this would be a very annoying trip.


	4. Chapter 3: Stories, Part Two

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cl****oak of Lies**

_Chapter 3: Stories, Part Two._

Mariana Catanius stared in shock at the sight that now greeted her. Her home, the Cheydinhal Sanctuary that had housed and protected her for so long, was now no more than ashes. Or at least that's how it appeared on the surface. She knew full well that no fire would be able to burn the inside of the Sanctuary, but she also knew that if anyone could have done this, then it was likely that all her brothers and sisters were dead. That thought more than any other disturbed her. Who had done this? What group would dare cross the Dark Brotherhood, or even know of it's existence here for that matter? The Count? No, he was a coward and a fool, and would never dream of betraying them. The Legion? They might have found out their location somehow and attacked them. Morag Tong? There was a long standing rivalry between the two groups.

Regardless, whoever had committed this vile act would pay dearly. Until such time as the perpetrators could be found though, she would have to inspect the damage and collect any survivors. That was her duty, after all. She silently walked away from the crowd that had gathered around the remains of the house, and, with her invisibility spell still active, made her way to the secret entrance in the well. She quickly jumped down into it, and as she neared the bottom, she released a small amount of magicka that would soften her landing. The trick did it's job, and she was soon standing in the main chamber of the Sanctuary. She noticed that, despite the fire that had once raged above, the Sanctuary was chillingly cold.

She took a moment to observe her surroundings, and immediately saw the shattered, frozen remains of one of her brothers. She did not know his name, but she grieved for him nonetheless. She continued her inspection of the Sanctuary, and would occasionally come across a frozen portion of wall or flooring. She also came across the frozen corpses of the remaining Sanctuary members. After inspecting every room, she finally same to the quarters of the head of the Sanctuary. She opened the door and found that a sprawling mess of broken furniture and scattered papers had replaced what had once been a pristinely cared for office and living quarters. What caught her attention first though, was the fact that all of the records of the Sanctuary were gone. That was not good. That meant that whoever had destroyed this Sanctuary might now know of the locations of all the other Sanctuaries. Those in Bravil, Anvil, and Chorrol were in danger, and she would have to get a warning out to them.

She made her way outside the room and was about to leave the Sanctuary the way she came when she heard a shuffling noise coming from the training room. Drawing her silver shortsword, she made her way towards it and activated a life detect spell. Beyond the door was a single figure, standing very still and watching the door, obviously waiting for her to enter. Since the person knew she was there, Mariana decided that there was no harm in seeing if might be a survivor. "What is the color of night?"

"Sanguine, my sister," came the reply. Relieved, Mariana opened the door only to have a bow pointed at her face. The figure immediately dropped it and spoke an apology.

"I am truly sorry, but I had to be sure. The person who killed the other members knew the password."

"How? That makes no sense. No one is told of the password except for those of the Brotherhood. Were we betrayed by one of our own?"

"I do not think so. Orrin was late in returning from his mission, and I suspect that he was captured, though how they managed to get the information out of him I don't know. That Redguard had more pride than everyone else here put together, so they must have tortured him terribly before he would talk."

"That is unfortunate. What is your name and rank, brother?"

"Aurrus Hosidius, Assassin. And yours?" said the figure as he lowered his black hood. His face was revealed to be that of a very handsome Imperial, with short, raven hair that was neatly combed and styled. It gave him the appearance of nobility, and Mariana immediately placed him as from the Imperial City, most likely from a rich family.

Mariana lowered her own hood and asked, "Do you not recognize me?"

Aurrus gasped upon seeing her face. She was a Colovian, and thus had a typically tanned skin from the area. She also had long, brown hair and sparkling, blue eyes. She was far from beautiful he decided, but also not ugly. In any normal circumstances, she most likely would have fit in perfectly with the nobility where he was from, for she carried a regal look about her, one that showed her to be cultured and experienced in the ways of the world. But then, as the Listener, he supposed she would have a wealth of worldly experience.

After he got over the initial shock of seeing the Listener standing before him, he dropped to one knee, and held his head low, looking at the ground. He was not fit to be in her presence. He, who had hidden himself with magic rather than fight the intruder as all the others had. He was a coward, and he knew it. His instinct of self-preservation had taken over, and he had listened to the screams of his brethren while he saved his own worthless hide. He even told her as much.

Mariana pondered what the man bowed before her had said. His actions made him unworthy to be in the Brotherhood, and by all rights, he should be executed for his cowardice. However, she admitted that the circumstance were somewhat extreme and that not everyone could be brave enough to sacrifice their own life for a hopeless cause. Not even those of the Brotherhood. She decided that she would give this man a chance to redeem himself, as he may yet be useful to the cause of the Night Mother and the Dread Father of the Void.

"Rise Aurrus. I shall give you a chance to redeem your soul in the eyes of the Night Mother. We shall travel to Bravil and seek her advice in this matter, and once we have found who had done this most foul deed, you shall be the one to strike the killing blow on this man. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Listener. I shall not fail you."

"I know you won't Assassin, for if you do, then you shall wish to have died here today along with all your brethren." Mariana the left the Sanctuary and headed out of the town, and Aurrus obediently followed her, dreading the trip that was to come.

---------------

All was quiet, and that worried Vilyn. The invaders had beseiged the Fighter's Guild some time ago, and in all that time, they had been battering at the door, attempting to break it down. They had come close several times too, and if it hadn't been for the mages here, then they would have broken through. It really hurt his pride to say it, but everyone here owed their lives to those mages from the Mage's Guild. The attack had been swift and merciless. Men, women, and children of all races were cut down in the streets, and no one had been able to stop them. The guards had been quickly overrun and the castle fell soon after the walls. No one knew how they had suddenly appeared as they had, but it confused him that, if they could teleport inside the Mage's Guild, onto the walls, and inside the castle, them why weren't they teleporting in here?

Instead, they were outside, taking arrows and fireballs from above. Oh sure, they attacked back with their own arrows and spells, but they simply weren't hitting back with the same lethal precision that those holed up in here were. That also confused him. These people were professionals, that much was sure. They were on par with the Legion in their power, order, and tactics. So why then, had they not been overpowered yet? There was only one answer to that question, and it disturbed him far more with the apparent silence of the enemy. They were waiting. But what were they waiting for? That was the real question, and Vilyn wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

He took a look around the cluttered room and saw the huddled families hiding in the corners. He saw the look of fear on their faces and knew immediately that he would die to protect these people. They had had no where to go when the attack had begun, and had simply taken cover in the nearest building. Luckily for them, the nearest building had been the Fighter's Guild. He wasn't sure whether or not any other building was still resisting, but somehow he doubted it. No other building, except for the guard posts and the castle, which had been taken out early on, were suitable for resisting a siege. The city itself was well designed for that purpose, and he could understand why it would be targeted first in an invasion. It held the road after Kvatch and Anvil, connecting them to the rest of Cyrodiil. It was also a place of military power. It served as one of the only cities besides the Imperial City which could also serve as a large military base. From this position, you could strike out at almost any point in Cyrodiil. Which meant a disaster was on the horizon. He had no idea who these people were, but if similar things were happening across the Empire, then this war would be over before it even began.

As he considered their strategic position, one of the other members of the Guild came to stand next to him. He whispered a short sentence into his ear, and he knew now why they had stopped attacking. Their leader had arrived.

---------------

"Commander Eridor!"

"At ease, Julius. Why has this building not yet fallen to our power? I told the Master that the city was completely ours. Are you trying to prove me a liar?"

Julius looked at the short, cloaked figure. He was struck for a moment by how high-pitched the Bosmer's voice was. That combined with what he was saying was almost enough to make him laugh. Almost. The memory of what had happened to the last person who had done that was more than enough to prevent him from making that grievous error. His answer was in a calm voice that fitted with his apparently uncaring expression. This was just a mask of his true feeling though, and if one looked closely, he might observe sweat sliding down his skin, Fortunately, him men were too busy guarding against more projectiles from the building to watch him. "Lord Eridor, these men of the Fighter's Guild have banded together with the Mage's Guild and the remainder of the city guard. There are also some number of civilians inside. Since we were ordered to only capture after the initial assault, our progress has been slow. Nevertheless, this is their last bastion of defense, and once it falls, our control will be complete."

"I find your explanation suitable, Lieutenant Julius. I hereby waive the no-kill order. Take them alive if possible, but do not hesitate to use lethal force."

"Yes sir."

"And Julius?"

"Yes sir?"

"You should know that a small company of Legionnaires are approaching from the east. Once you are done here, take your men out to the road and set up an ambush. Slaughter them. No mercy for the servants of the Empire."

"Yes sir."

---------------

Nona looked out the window of the second story of the Fighter's Guild. She watched closely as a cloaked figure spoke to the armored soldier they had thought to be their commander. They had apparently been wrong. Or maybe, the cloaked figure was simply a higher up. They had attempted to shoot at the armored figure several times, but their arrows had bounced off his armor, and their spells seemingly disappeared in mid-air. As she took aim with her prized Elven bow, she prayed to the Divines that the cloaked commander was not as careful as his subordinate.

---------------

As Julius was about to issue the command to attack with renewed force, an arrow whistled through the air. It flew right past his face, making a slight cut on his cheek. He reached up and felt the wound with one hand. That had been close. A little more to the right and that shot would have killed him. Then a horrible realization came across him. He looked towards Commander Eridor, only to find an arrow sticking out of his chest. He was not worried so much for his leader, but rather for the retribution that was soon to come.

Sure enough, a gloved came up and yanked the arrow from his chest, and through the hole that it left, Verus could see the glint of some black and red colored armor. Then, he thrust out his other hand towards the area where the arrow had come from. A flaming, green ball of fire shot from his palm towards the Guild's second floor, and Julius truly felt pity for those that were about to die.

---------------

Vilyn felt the explosion down on the first floor, and dust fluttered down from the ceiling.

"What in Oblivion was that!" one of the guardsmen shouted, drawing his sliver longsword as he did so. All around him, others were doing the same.

"That was the first thrust of the attack. Our defenders up above are gone now, I am sure of it. They will charge us soon. I do not think we will be able to stand against them. We will die just as surely as those above us just did. However, if we will die, than I say we die on our feet, fighting for our city and our Empire. Some of you I have know for many years, and some of you I have just met, but one thing we all have in common is that we are all residents of this fair city of Skingrad, and we are all citizens of our glorious Empire. As such, we have a duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves. All of you civilians please go into the back rooms."

Once they had all done so, he turned to face the men and women who had remained. His face was grim, and his expression was echoed by almost all who were gathered here. "It has been an honor to serve with you all, no matter how long that time has been. We are now all that remains of this city, and we are it's last bastion of defense. Until we are all dead, they shall not have this city. Though they may triumph here, they shall pay a heavy price indeed. I say that for every one of us that falls, that they must lose three of theirs. I say that for every injury we take, we deal it back with twice that power. I say that they will regret the day they challenged us and thought to have a bloodless victory. We shall kill until they drown in their own blood!"

A score of cheers went around the room, and Vilyn turned again, drawing his Dai-Katana from it's ebony sheath on his back. He stared with red eyes that burned with rage at the door, as if daring them to try and come through. The only noise was the shuffling of feet as the men took up various defensive positions. Then, the door in front of him exploded in a flash of red light, and Vilyn was sent flying across the room. He smashed into a table and felt it give way beneath him. His vision was filled with spots, and he could just barely make out the sights and sounds of fighting as the blue cloaked men charged. The last thing he saw was a mace coming for his face before it all went black.

**A/N:** _Right, so here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. I myself quite like this chapter. Probably because it introduces the Dark Brotherhood to the story. Also, for those who might be interested, Dro'Shanji from the last chapter is an NPC, which is why I didn't give a description of him. Not that there's really that much to describe about a Khajit anyway. Regardless though, read and review and all that jazz._


	5. Chapter 4: Stories, Part Three

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter 4: Stories, Part Three_

"Are you certain that the Gray Fox is here?"

"Yes, Lord Caius. We captured a member of the Thieves Guild during the attack on Cheydinhal. He was apparently a high-ranking member, and had been on his way to this meeting place when Eridor and his soldiers seized the city. I'm not sure how, but they found out about most of our attacks before they happened and evacuated all their members from the target area. However, I'm confident that if we kill the few leaders of the Thieves Guild here, that they will fall apart."

Caius looked at his young Lieutenant, and gave thanks to the Divines that he had someone so skilled to assist him. Erundil was always precise and efficient in all his tasks, and when Caius asked something of him, it was always done, and right on time. Now, he had served a great purpose in the accomplishment of his task. Though the Master had assigned Aleron, Alexia, and Malinus to "help" him, they all knew that it was really a competition to see who could bring down the Thieves Guild first. And against all odds, it would seem that Caius was about to win. As the lowest ranking member of the Council, he also had the fewest troops and resources. With Aleron and Malinus working together as they often do, and Alexia employing all her spies and assassins, he had truly doubted that he would be the first to locate the Gray Fox. But he had, and he had Erundil to thank for it. He would reward the Altmer greatly when they returned to Gardenhall.

"Very good, Lieutenant. Gather the men and order them to encircle this cabin. Let no one escape, and tell them that whoever brings me the head of the Gray Fox will be greatly rewarded."

Erundil nodded and then headed off into the dark, where he had gathered a dozen or so men. It was a pitiful number, but it was all he could find in such a short amount of time. Had he had another day, he could have gotten at least another three dozen men. But this was all he had to work with, and there was no use complaining about things that you can't control.

Caius removed his hood and stared off into the darkness, brushing his long, raven hair out of his eyes. As he stood there, he contemplated several things that were bothering him. First and foremost was this "war" itself. Though the Master might call this a war, Caius knew better. This was no war, it was a cleansing. At least, that was how it appeared to him. There had been no large-scale battles, no mustering of huge armies or long and drawn out occupations that one would normally associate with a war. No, it was more like a hit-and-run massacre and that was strange all on it's own. Surely the Order had enough power to stand up against the Legion, or at least they would soon enough, so why not simply stand and fight like warriors? Why these cowardly tactics of slinking along in the dark and then striking when the foe's back was turned? If the Master truly wanted to cleanse the world, then why not simply do what he had done to the Imperial City to all the other cities?

No, instead they were taking out individual, isolated targets, instead of hitting the enemy as a whole. It was almost as if the Master wanted them to have time to muster their forces and strike back, but without their central leadership. Perhaps he was going to have them gather all in one place and then destroy them all together? Yes, that seemed logical. It would also explain why they had seized Skingard, as it would serve as a gathering point for all of the armed forces remaining in Cyrodiil, at least once word spread about the attacks. It still amazed him that the Thieves Guild had managed to figure out their plans. The only was they could have know was if there was a traitor in their midst, but it could very well be anyone. Another reason why he hated being on the Council. All it's members were backstabbing snakes who were only looking out for their own good.

He stayed in that spot for a few more moments before walking forwards, the wind blowing his cloak to the side and revealing his intricate set of glass armor underneath. His prized weapon, a black falchion hung at his waist, contained in a beautiful green and red sheath. It had been his fathers before him, and he prized it above all his other possessions.

When he reached the edge of the woods, he could see the firelight shining out the windows of the small cabin. It was a good meeting place, far removed from civilization and the main roads. Only someone who knew this place was here would ever find it. He motioned two if his men near him to stay put, then made a motion towards his Lieutenant to move the men forwards. He did so, and soon there were ten men moving slowly towards the cabin. When they were a few feet away, they cast the brightest light spells they could manage and threw them through the open windows, blinding and perhaps causing permanent eye damage to whoever was inside. They waited a few moments for the light to die down then busted the door open and rushed inside. And then, all was silent. No screams, no sounds of combat, just silence.

Concerned, Caius crept forwards towards the house, his two bodyguards following silently behind him. When they came to the door, they found all of his soldiers staring at something on the ground. It was a note. Caius, moved forwards and picked it up, then began to read the intricate writing. It was very flowery, making it slightly difficult for Caius to read. After all, he was a warrior, not a scholar.

_Dear Mr. Caius,_

_I have been informed that you intended to attack and kill myself and my followers here tonight. I'm afraid that simply isn't convenient for me for several obvious reasons. So, I decided to simply not be here, and I warned all of my followers of what you planned to do. They were quite amused that you thought to kill the Gray Fox. _

_However, so as not to be overly rude, I decided to leave you this note. Also, though it likely won't matter, I would also like to give you this warning that, even as you read this, the Imperial Legion is closing on your position. I had one of my men leak the location of this place to them, and they were only too happy to have the chance to capture the Gray Fox. _

_Sincerely yours,_

_The Gray Fox_

_P.S. Please do try to put on a good show, as I went to a lot of trouble to arrange this._

Caius could only stare dumbfounded at the note, completely at a loss for words at what had just occurred. The soldiers around him looked distinctly uncomfortable, as if they would rather be in Oblivion fighting the Daedra than here in this small cabin. The shouting of orders snapped him out of his stupor.

"Attention Gray Fox, we have the cabin surrounded. Surrender immediately, or we will use lethal force!"

Caius turned and looked outside, and saw nearly fifty men had indeed surrounded the cabin, and all had their various weapons at the ready. Again, he was at a loss for words. Finally, he turned back around and said to his Lieutenant, "Very well then. If this Gray Fox was smart enough to arrange all this, then we might as well give him his show. Kill all the Legion fools, no mercy."

"With all due respect sir, don't you think we're a little outnumbered?"

"Yes, yes I do. Which is precisely why you shall be leading the charge. But look on the bright side, Lieutenant, if you manage to win this engagement, then I won't kill you when you return to Gardenhall."

With that said, Caius teleported out of the cabin and left the soldiers he had just so recently been praising to their fates.

---------------

Rasien looked down at his latest experiment subject. He was a Dunmer, and had been taken alive during the attack on Skingrad. He had once been a brave warrior, and had the scars to prove it, but now he was nothing more than Rasien's latest lab rat.

He was just preparing to give him the potion he had been working on when Claudius walked into his lab. Rasien turned and greeted his superior with a nod of his head before returning to his work. Of course, it was interrupted again when Claudius began speaking to him, much to Rasien's annoyance. Honestly, how was he supposed to get any work done?

"I would like to commandeer your current test subject, Rasien. I have a little experiment of my own going and I require this one."

Though it was phrased as a request, Rasien knew full well that it was an order. Still, he at least wanted a better reason than that. "And what exactly is your experiment, hmm? Perhaps I could aid you with it."

Claudius shook his head. That was all the answer he would get then. "Very well then, but do take good care of this one. He's the first Dunmer I've gotten in good condition in quite some time, and I'd like to have him back at some point."

"Maybe you will get him back, Rasien, but until then, let me assure you that I'll take the best possible care of him."


	6. Chapter 5: The Master

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

__

Chapter Five: The Master…

Selena woke to the sound of a piano, it's melody rousing her from her slumber. She opened her eyes slowly, and found herself immersed in darkness, with no source of light that she could find. She scrambled to her feet, trying to figure out where she was, but she couldn't remember a thing. The last thing she remembered was receiving an invite to the Chancellor's coronation party, and hurrying to get dressed. Everything after that was a blur, memories that teetered on the edge of her grasp, yet were still beyond reach.

She scanned the room after a few more moments, allowing her eyes to become adjusted to the darkness, and her gaze rested on the opposite side of the room, where a faint glimmer of light could be seen near the ground. She wandered over to it and, after a few moments of searching, came across the handle to a door. She wondered for a moment if she should leave, but if she had been kidnapped, as she thought, then wouldn't her kidnappers be smart enough to lock the door anyway? She grasped the handle and pulled, and, much to her surprise, the door opened. She stumbled backwards as light spilled forth into the room, and after regaining her balance, she walked out into the hall.

It was still fairly dark in the hallway, though it was lit here and there by a few torches. Selena could have sworn she saw something moving in the shadows, but she just attributed it to her nervousness. Now that she was free of that horribly dark room, she took a moment to listen to the music that drifted through the halls. It was a beautiful melody, she decided, but also a sad one. She couldn't quite understand why, but she felt as if she had heard it before. Having no where else to go, she wandered through the halls, following the sounds of the piano. After what seemed like forever, she came to a stop in front of a set of large, oaken doors. The doors themselves were ancient, and had a think coat of dust on them, as if they had never been opened. But that was impossible, right? After all, someone was obviously inside.

Though she was slightly scared to open the door, knowing that whoever had taken her must be inside, she really had no other choice. The hallways in this place were seemingly endless, and the dark was beginning to get to her. Everywhere she looked, she kept seeing the shadows moving. After taking a few moments to regain her courage, she pushed open the doors and couldn't suppress a cough as dust went flying everywhere. Inside, whoever was playing the piano had stopped and was now staring at the doors. The figure was staring at her. She looked straight ahead at the figure sitting in front of the piano, but whoever it was was completely concealed by a large, blue cloak. The relative darkness of the room didn't help, and though try as she might, Selena couldn't see any features of the person.

The figure rose from the seat in front of the piano and continued to stare at her. Selena stared back. Finally, growing tired of the silence, she spoke in a slightly nervous voice, "Who are you? Why am I here? Where is here? Please, just show me how to leave this place..."

The figure stared at her for a few moments more before beginning a slow advance towards her. Selena began to back away, but felt herself stumble. She fell and hit her head, and by the time her vision cleared, the figure was standing directly above her. The figure began to speak in a clear, commanding voice. It was a strangely beautiful voice, almost unnaturally so, as if the sound was artificial. Though the voice was not threatening, the way the figure spoke was as if he held some great knowledge, and that all others were mere children. It was both a terrifying voice, but also comforting in a peculiar way that Selena could not place.

"I have had many names over the centuries, none of which you people of this age would recognize. It is such a shame, seeing so much knowledge lost to ignorance and hatred, but I suppose that is the way of the world. If you wish, you may call me Berich, for that is what those few who have seen me know me by now. As to why you are here, I would like to know that as well. There is something very strange about you, Selena Jucanis, something I have not witnessed for a great length of time. And until I understand why you have this power that you do, you shall not leave Gardenhall. And I believe I just answered your last question and your request. But come, child, there is much for you to see before the day ends. You took longer than I expected to awaken from your sleep, and I must soon leave."

"Hold on just a moment! I don't have any special powers or anything. If you want power, speak to my father, he'll show you power. And when he finds out that you've taken me to wherever this Gardenhall is, you'll regret kidnapping me!"

"Kidnapping? Why, my dear child, I saved your life. If it were not for us, you would be dead right now, a mere corpse in the wreckage of the Imperial City. And as for your father, he is just another man caught up in the plans of the Divines. But not you. You're special, whether you realize it or not. What you must also understand is that whoever you were before entering this city is no more. The moment someone steps foot in Gardenhall, they lose the rights to their past life. Though they may carry around trinkets from their past existence, it is only to fool themselves into thinking that they still exist. They are nothing, simply mere servants to the will of the Gods. And they have deemed that you shall remain here, and so you shall stay, whether you want to or not. You have no choice, not yet. You must earn your choice, as all have before you."

Selena simply stared at him, not really listening after hearing what he had said about the Imperial City. Wreckage? How was that possible? The Imperial City was at the center of the Empire, an unassailable bastion of Imperial might and culture. Destroyed? Impossible. "What do you mean wreckage? Do you expect me to believe that you destroyed the Imperial City? Don't make me laugh."

"I wouldn't want to, as it is no laughing matter. But no, I don't expect you to believe me. But then I also do not care if you believe me. You have no power here, child, so your opinion is less than worthless. Now come, there is work to be done."

The man, now identified as Berich, then walked out of the room and back into the hallway, and Selena grudgingly followed. However much she might hate this man and the situation she was in, she was hardly in a position to refuse. She supposed she was simply lucky that she wasn't dead. Perhaps had she been more observant, she would have seen that there was no other way into the room aside from the door she had just used, which had been covered in dust. But her attention was understandably occupied. One thing she did notice though, was that the shadows that had been plaguing her during her original walk now ceased to move.

------------

Selena was bored, to say the least. She and the still cloaked Berich had been walking for what must have been at least an hour, and nothing had changed. Everything in this hallway looked exactly the same. The same gray walls, the same precisely ordered rows of doors and torches, and the same thick layer of dust that covered everything. She was beginning to get tired, hungry, thirsty, and she desperately wanted a bath, but she was too busy to complain to the figure in front of her, who hadn't so much as broken stride this entire time.

Finally, just as her exhaustion was about to overwhelm her common sense, Berich stopped. He opened the door in front of him and walked into a well lit room, which was so bright in comparison to the hallway that she had to take a few moments to get used to it and regain her sight. When she had finally gotten used to the dramatic change in lighting, she saw five figures in front of her, all sitting at a long table in what appeared to be thrones. Berich took the middle seat and everyone went silent. No one so much as moved. Selena took those few moments to examine the remaining four members, but was disappointed by what she saw. Of all of them, only one was not wearing his hood.

Selena could just barely make out a set of green eyes through a mass of unruly, jet-black hair. That one obviously didn't care about his appearance, or maybe when everyone wears cloaks and almost all the rooms are covered in darkness, they simply don't need to take care of their appearance. She could tell that all of them were staring at her, as if they were analyzing her as they would a piece of meat. It was very unsettling.

Finally, after a few more uncomfortable moments, the cloaked figure on the far right began to speak. It was the voice of a female, and she was clearly annoyed. "I don't understand Master, why parade this girl in front of us? Look at her, she's a weakling. We ought to just kill her now and put her out of her misery."

The man on the left, sitting next to the uncloaked figure, began to speak, and his was a startlingly deep and loud voice that almost made her jump. "You're too hasty, just like those Dark Brotherhood fools. You see clearly what is in front of you yet make no attempt to understand it. You simply accept it without question or cast it aside, as if it were completely useless. I thought you wished to set yourself apart from those people, five, but it seems to me that you uphold their ideals even now."

The woman nearly stood up in her seat, but when the man sitting next to her began to speak, she sat down. "Really now three, aren't you too old to be harassing the young ones? You should learn to control yourself better, or that mouth of yours may get you in trouble. That said, I agree with him. You should be more observant five."

Selena could vaguely hear the woman cursing, but before she could say anything, the uncloaked man began to speak, and his voice was nearly monotone, with no hint of emotion. It was much like Berich's in that it sounded unnatural. "I concur with two and three. However, that still doesn't answer five's question. Why bring the girl before the Council of Roses?"

Berich rose from his seat and looked at each figure in turn, before resting his gaze on the girl in front of him. "Because, I wish for the Council to vote on the matter of her staying here. I wish to induct her into the Order, so that she may learn what her power is, and what it means."

The woman rose from her seat and banged her fist on the table. "This is an outrage! No outsider has been allowed to join the Order since..."

The uncloaked figure interrupted her, and even while he was speaking, he was still staring at Selena with those piercing green eyes. "We all know, five. There is no need to bring that matter up again. However, I think it is a good idea, provided she doesn't meddle where she doesn't belong. Of course, the same could be said of anyone of the Order, right three? I say aye."

Three scoffed at his number being mentioned but said nothing. Instead, it was the woman who spoke. "No. I say no, no, no. This is unbelievable!"

The voice of number two was the next to speak. "Control yourself five. This is no way to act in the middle of a Council meeting. However, I must agree. She is an outsider, and has no place in the Order. I say no."

Finally, three gave his vote. "You know, under most circumstances, I would say no, but this opportunity is too great to pass up. Imagine the look on eight's face when he hears about this. I say aye."

Berich then took his final role in the proceedings. "Very well then, since it has come to a tie, it is up to me to make the decision, and I think you all already know what it will be. I say aye. Congratulations Selena, you are now a member of the Order of the Blue Rose. I room has already been prepared for you. There is food, water, and anything you might need inside. Sleep well, my child, for a long day awaits you, and I'm afraid that your moments of peace will be few and far between."

With that, he motioned with one hand, and Selena saw a flash of red light. She blinked, and by the time she opened her eyes, she was in a completely different room. It was rather large and seemingly extravagant. It reminded her vaguely of the rooms for rent at the Tiber Septim Hotel. As she looked around what she supposed would be her new place of residence for the foreseeable future, she couldn't help but feel some sense of emptiness. It was strange, but after that flash of light, she felt even more tired. But it was more than that. It was as if a piece of her soul had been lost.

------------

Five flashes lit up the dark, circular meeting room where the full Council met. The other members were already there, and seemingly impatient, though if any were angry at the wait, they held their tongue. Number five was completely silent, something very unlike her. Number three was chuckling to himself, and number two and four seemed the same as always, patient and stoic. Berich addressed the Council, asking for their results as he had the last time they had all been gathered there.

"Rasien?"

"The experiments continue, though I'm slightly worried. The creatures we've captured have been acting more aggressive lately. I'm not sure what happened to them, but we had to put several down. I'm sure you know how hard it is to capture those damned things alive. I refuse to send more of my assistants down there to find them, only to get ambushed from out of nowhere. I swear they blend into the shadows so well that nothing short of a full power life detect spell will reveal them. I'm afraid that the experiments will be going slower from here on out."

"That is unfortunate, but not completely unexpected. As long as you continue to show results, I don't care how long it takes you. Malinus, Aleron, Alexia, Caius, how goes the destruction of the Thieves Guild?"

Caius was the one to respond. "Not well. They continue to elude all our efforts to apprehend them, though I'm getting closer. It won't be much longer, I swear it."

Alexia began to laugh. "Oh yes, I'm sure. Just like you were close yesterday when you led your men into an ambush. But don't worry ten, your mind just isn't cut out for the subtleties of this kind of warfare. I, on the other hand, am in my element. I will have the Gray Fox's head very soon Master."

"Very good, Alexia. I'm glad to hear that someone here is capable of handling these Thieves. Perhaps it would be best if you were assigned to the home guard, Caius. Far less of a hassle, don't you think? Darnmon?"

"Bravil is burned to the ground. Nothing is left but ashes and none escaped it's destruction. However, I'm somewhat curious as to why you decided to target this one city instead of any of the others."

"As I said to Alexia before, it doesn't matter that you understand, only that the task is completed. However, I shall grace you with an answer this once. I ordered the destruction for three reasons. The first is because it was a meeting place for those of the Thieves Guild. It was a place of power for them. The second was because it was also a place of power for the Dark Brotherhood. They were somewhere in that city, lurking in the shadows, protecting a great evil. That evil must have been destroyed by the fire, and it will leave the Brotherhood leaderless. With no one to guide their blades, they will pose no threat. My third reason was because that city was a great blight on the world. It spewed pollution, corrupting everything and everyone that came in contact with it. Now, with it gone, the land will begin to heal, and life will once again truly exist there. Eridor?"

"The occupation goes well. All survivors were transported here and have already been taken by the transformation. The Legion is only now realizing what's going on and is finally mobilizing, but we are ready for them."

"Good. Joran?"

"The campaign goes slowly. I'm not sure how, but those Altmer knew ahead of time that we were coming and ambushed us. Many of our men died because of their spellcasters. However, we still won the battle and routed the majority of their military. The occupation may be costly though, depending on whether they try to surrender. If they do, the war there may only last a few more weeks. If not, then who knows. It could very well be years before we find and capture them all."

"I suppose that nothing can be done about it. I trust your judgement, Joran. Take however many men you need to get the job done. Claudius?"

"My mission goes well. He'll be ready tomorrow."

"Very good then. Darnmon, stay here in the city. You and Caius will be on home guard until I have further need of you. Caius, you will assist Rasien in his acquisition of more of the beasts. I trust you're capable enough to capture a few animals? The rest of you already have your orders. Dismissed."

Eight flashes of red light later and only Claudius and Berich were left in the room, just as before. "Tell me, Claudius, what do you think of the girl?"

"To be honest, Berich, I'm not sure what to think. She has power, but no control. I'm not even sure she realizes just what that power is. But then how could she? No doubt her father knows, but you can tell that he's attempted to hide it. This is turning into a dangerous game. If he were to realize what is truly going on and muster an army, then who knows what might happen. Regardless though, everything is in place. The Dunmer isn't going through the process as all the others before him have. We need him with all his capabilities intact, not a mindless drone. Another danger is that he might turn on us, which I don't doubt he would do in an instant if the opportunity arrives. The trick will be distracting him so that he doesn't realize he's had his choice until after it passes. The same with the girl."

"We must be very careful now, my friend. I fear the remainder of the council would not be pleased with our actions, at least not without getting their consent first."

"What does it matter what they think? They all know who's in charge, and they wouldn't dare challenge you, not yet. It would be too reckless of a move."

"Perhaps. And yet recklessness is one of the more obvious aspects of human nature. I fear they will not use their heads as they should, and then blood will be spilt, but whose, I can't yet tell."

**A/N:** _Hurrah, another review! Thank you, and I will try to lengthen the chapters. The next few, at least, should be a little bit longer_.


	7. Chapter 6: and the Servant

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Six: …and the Servant_

Claudius walked the empty halls of lower Gardenhall, silently contemplating Berich's orders. So he was to prepare the Dunmer, eh? An interesting task, but one he was completely capable of. Number two would have a heart attack if he learned what was going on, as stuck in his ways as he was. Most of the Council would, but that wasn't his problem, not yet. And by the time the rest of the Council learned what was truly going on, well then, it would be too late. Claudius allowed himself a small laugh at that thought, but it was just as emotionless as his speech, and the hollow sound of his laughter echoed throughout the halls. How many used to live in this place, once upon a time? All gone, long dead or disappeared into the abyss that was the shadows. Even now he could feel them watching him, as if they were calculating their chances of killing him. But he knew they would leave him alone. They always did.

Eventually, he came to a stop in front a single, oaken door, though unlike all the others, this one appeared to have been used recently. He opened it up and cast a light spell, revealing the sleeping Dunmer known as Vilyn laying in a small bed. He had yet to awaken. It was time to fix that. Claudius walked over to the Dunmer and laid a hand on his arm. After a few moments, the Dunmer woke up, startled, and scrambled from the bed, nearly knocking Claudius over in his haste. Once he was on his feet, he reached up towards his back, but grasped only air. He was going for where his sword would be.

"Silly Dunmer, you don't think we would let you sleep with a weapon on your back, do you?"

Vilyn stared back at the man, as if measuring him up, before letting his hand fall and replying, "What happened? Are the others safe?"

"I'm afraid that they were all killed or captured, but they put up a valiant fight. Those still alive will make excellent warriors in our army."

"They are honourable people. They would never turn and help those that destroyed their home."

"Oh, so you assume they have a choice? They do not, but you do. I am giving you your first choice, here and now. You may serve us, with all your capabilities and intelligence intact, or you may serve us as nothing more than a mere shell, a mindless zombie if you would."

"I'd rather die."

"That can be arranged. But tell me something, Vilyn. What of your precious daughter? What would she do if she heard that her father had died, rather than remain alive so that he might see her again?"

Vilyn's blood ran cold. "What do you mean? What have you done to my daughter!"

"Nothing, dear friend, nothing. And nothing will happen to her, so please calm down and act civil. If you serve us of your own free will, you shall be allowed to see your daughter, and once your service to us is finished, you may leave Gardenhall with her." A lie of course. No one leaves Gardenhall once they enter, or at least not without losing something first.

Vilyn paused, dropping his head so that he might stare at the ground. He simply stood there for a few moments, considering what had been said before replying, "Very well then. But only for the sake of my daughter."

"Well, that was far easier than I thought it would be. But then you always were the logical sort, I suppose. Now come with me, there is much to do and little time to do it in."

With that, he walked out of the room and into the hallway, and Vilyn followed, his head held high. These cloaked fools might make him serve them, but they could not take his pride away. But as soon as he left the room, he saw something that made his heart stop. There, far in the distance, was a creature. It had horribly pale skin, almost white, and it was bigger than the average person. It's claws were red, the color of blood, and it's arms fell to the floor, stretching almost the length of it's entire body. It's mouth was as long as it's head, and drool fell out of it. Vilyn could just barely make out a set of razor sharp teeth, gleaming in the strange light. But the one thing that made his truly afraid was the eyes. The pure yellow eyes. They shined with an eerie power, making him stop in place to the point where he couldn't even think of moving. There were three of them, and they were all fixed solely on him. And then, it was gone. There was no flash of light, no movement from the creature, it simply disappeared.

"Quit dawdling back there and hurry up. We don't have all day!"

Vilyn turned to see the cloaked figure far down the hall, waiting for him. He hurried towards him, wanting to get as far away from what he had just seen as quickly as possible. "Did you see that creature?"

"Don't bother them and they won't bother you." Was the only answer he got in return. As they continued walking, he kept looking around, watching for the creature, but he found nothing. Not a thing was moving, and the hall way was silent except for the sound of their walking.

--------------

After a while, the two came to a set of stairs. They ascended them in silence, but Vilyn couldn't help but let out a gasp when he saw what was at the top. In front of him was a massive forest, with plants growing everywhere wildly. Above the trees he could see the shape of great buildings, but they were far off in the distance, and would take some time to get to.

"Behold, the grandness of Gardenhall. The name suits this place, don't you think?"

Vilyn nodded dumbly, still looked at the massive cavern. Then something dawned on him. "How do all these plants survive down here if there's no light?"

"Why, magic of course." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but Vilyn had never heard of any magic that could make plants grow and thrive.

"Who are you people?"

"We are the Order of the Blue Rose, but come, we have a long walk ahead of us. I will explain anything you wish to know, within reason of course."

And with that they started walking into the forest. Vilyn remained silent for some time however, observing his surroundings. There was something very strange about this forest, but it took him a moment to realize what it was. There was no sound. No birds chirped, no animals scurried through the brush, there weren't even any insects. As soon as he noticed this, he asked the man who had turned into his guide about it.

"It is because they could not survive. The longer a living being stays in this place, the weaker they will get, which is why we need to clear the forest with as much haste as possible. You see, the forest feeds off of the life energy of all living beings, even each other. That is how they survive down here, where no light can reach. Many of these plants are extinct on the surface, and this is their last place of residence. It is a sacred place to us, and the Divines ordered us long ago to protect it. But we found that we didn't have to, as the forest can protect itself. Those creatures you saw would not dare to came here, as all the life would be drained out of them near instantaneously. The plants can sense the intentions of the people who pass through it, and if they mean us harm, then they will disappear. They will not die, nor will they be in pain, they will simply cease to exist. Nothing will be left."

They walked on in silence for a few more moments until Vilyn repeated his earlier question, asking who they were. "I already told you, we are the Order of The Blue Rose."

"Yes, but who are you? If you have all this power and rule an area so vast, then why haven't I ever heard of you before?"

"Because we didn't want anyone to know about us. It's really that simple. I can't truly explain to you the reason, it's something you will have to witness yourself. As for who we are, we are merely the servants of the Divines, nothing more."

"And the Divines said to attack my city? The Divines said to kill and slaughter in their name? I don't believe it."

"It doesn't matter what you believe. We are doing the Gods' will. You cannot possibly understand. You and your people, all who live on the surface cannot understand. You live in ignorance, hiding from the truth and the dangers of the world. You corrupt the land, pollute the air, and destroy the water. You take for granted everything that has been given to you. Perhaps the Divines grew tired of your stupidity and decided to take back what they had given you? Regardless of the reason, we are their sword, and we are their shield. We are their soldiers, those who have surrendered to their will, and you cannot understand out thoughts. Do you think we truly wish to pillage and slaughter as we do? Of course not, for who does? Who truly wishes to kill his fellows? Only the mad and the evil, and we are neither, for the most part. But you will learn all of this soon enough."

Vilyn remained quiet for the rest of the trip through the forest. Just as the man had said, he soon began feeling weaker, but he ignored it best he could. He hated this forest, he slowly came to realize. It was too quiet, and it was too strange. He might almost call the forest evil. But they were out of it soon enough. It was much shorter than he had first thought, and did not reach all the way to the buildings. They appeared to have been carved out of the earth, and they all looked the same. They all had the same, square design. There were no windows or openings of any kind that he could see. He asked his guide what the buildings were.

"Those are where all who serve the Order but are not part of it live. They have no minds and cannot think for themselves. They are mere puppets, to be controlled by those that are actual members of the Order. They serve as our main army and are expendable."

"Expendable! No life is expendable, and it is foolish to think so."

"Bah. Those people are as good as dead already. They have gone through the transformation, and they are with the Divines now. They have no free will, no soul or being. They are nothing."

Vilyn said nothing for a long while, but eventually began to talk again out of boredom. "Well then why are we going there, and where were we before?"

"Beyond those towers lies what is left of the city of Gardenhall, where the members of the Order reside. That will be your new home, most likely for a very long time. As to where we were before, those were the Halls of the Forgotten. I'm afraid I can't tell you any more about them than that. It isn't my place to speak of it."

Then they remained quiet for the rest of the walk. Vilyn, for his part, did not really wish to talk to this man anyway. While he didn't like the silence, he preferred it to listening to the man's monotone voice. And Claudius, for his part, had never wished to talk at all. It wasn't long before they reached the base of the towers, and Vilyn found them to be completely solid and smooth. It was strange, but there was no entrance or exit that he could see. He wondered briefly how anyone got anywhere in this place, as confusing as it was, but quickly put it out of his mind. Hopefully, he would never have to learn. Nearly a half-hour later, they reached the end of the cavern, and at the end, there was a set of large, stone doors. Claudius flicked his hand, and both of the doors swung open.

The pair walked inside in what was still total silence. They were back in the hallways, though these were brightly lit, and various names hung on the different doors. They continued walking for a few moments, but stopped in front of a door that had Vilyn's name on it.

"This is where you will stay. Remain inside and open the door for no one. There is food, water, and anything else you might need inside. I must leave now, as I have a meeting to attend to, but I shall return once it is finished."

Vilyn nodded and walked inside the room. It was relatively small, but it was still better than his quarters in the Skingrad Fighter's Guild. It seemed to be about the size of a cheap room at an inn, but it suited him just fine. He didn't care how big the room was, as long as he was by himself.

--------------

Claudius walked back down the hallway he had so recently been in. The Council meetings were complete, and number five was, as expected, furious. Alexia never did have a good control over her temper, or her mouth. It was something of a surprise that Malinus had voted yes though. He hadn't expected it. Something had to be going on in the mind of the elder member, but he couldn't guess what. He always had been a hard one to read. Two's vote had been completely expected. The old Altmer was stuck in his ways and wouldn't budge if everything was falling down around him. He could hear footsteps behind him and turned to see who was coming. It was Darnmon, number seven. The lapdog of Berich, and the backstabbing, self-serving fool of the Order. He regarded him for only a moment before turning back around and continuing to walk. Darnmon matched his pace.

"What do you want, Darnmon?"

"I want to know what's going on. The Master has been acting strange lately, and I overheard what three was saying to Aleron about the girl."

"You have no right to know, Darnmon. In case you're too stupid to remember, I'm the second in command here. Not you, not Malinus, not even Rasien, me. Berich chose me to confide in, and I will not break his trust for some pathetic worm like you."

Darnmon growled in response and moved to pull one of his swords, but was stopped by a mere flick of a finger. Claudius turned around once again to face the Dunmer, who had been frozen in mid-movement. He flicked his fingers again, and Darnmon fell to his knees. Again, and he was face down on the floor. Claudius kneeled down next to the petrified Dunmer and whispered to him, "Do not think to mess with me, worm. I have more power in one finger than you do in your entire body, as I just proved. I will let you live past this one transgression, but should it happen again, your fate will not be nearly as pleasant. Now, why don't you take a little nap?"

Claudius snapped his finger, turned, and walked off, leaving the now unconscious Dunmer on the floor. Eventually, he came to the door he was looking for. He snapped his fingers again and appeared inside the room, knowing that the door was locked. Inside, Vilyn had been busy eating something, but he stopped immediately upon hearing the sound. The first thing he said was, "If you can teleport like that, then why did we have to walk all the way here?"

"Because I like to walk." He then snapped his fingers again and they both appeared inside another room, this one far more extravagant than Vilyn's. Inside, sprawled out on the big bed that had been provided for her, was Selena. He whispered in Vilyn's ear, "This is your mission. You shall protect this girl with your life, without fail. She is very important to us, and if she dies, then your daughter dies also. Her name is Selena, and you will be formally introduced tomorrow. I suggest you get some rest, because you have a long few days ahead of you."

He then snapped his fingers once again, and Vilyn appeared back in his room, alone.

--------------

Darnmon woke an hour later, still laying face down on the floor. He got up slowly, cursing loudly. That man, Claudius. He thought he was so powerful, so much better than the rest of them. Well, he would show him. Before all of this was over, he would be dead, and Darnmon would take his place. The only thing was that he had no idea just how to kill him. He was undeniably powerful, and Darnmon doubted he could kill him alone. But maybe, if he were to get a few other members of the Council to help him, then maybe, just maybe, they could kill him. And once he was dead, Darnmon would be that much closer to killing Berich and taking his power. Yes, soon enough, it would all be his.

**A/N: **_And here's the next chapter. Selena's power is a big secret, and won't be revealed for a while, though I will hint at it in the chapters she appears in. About the champion, yes, he will appear eventually. I couldn't possibly write an Oblivion fic without him. And I don't know why no one is reviewing. I've never thought of myself as a great writer, but I was hoping for a few more people to review. Oh well. As long as I know someone is reading this, then I won't stop writing it._


	8. Chapter 7: First Meetings

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Seven: First Meetings_

"Get up."

Vilyn mumbled something and rolled over, ignoring the voice that had disturbed his sleep. A few moments later, he found himself floating in the air, and as he struggled to get to the ground, he fell to the floor with a loud thump. "When I tell you to get up, Dunmer, you get up. Now get dressed, eat breakfast, whatever. Your Dai-Katana is over near the door. When I get back, I expect you to be ready."

Then there was a red flash of light, and suddenly Vilyn found himself alone again.

----------------

"Wake up, Ms. Jucanis."

Claudius vaguely heard her say something about it being to early in the morning. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _Why do I get the feeling that this isn't only going to be a hard day for them? _"Please wake up, Ms. Jucanis. You have a long day ahead of you, and it's time for you to get started."

When she didn't move, he shook her lightly by the shoulder. Finally, she moved, but it wasn't what Claudius wanted. She just rolled over. Unfortunately for her though, she rolled over in the wrong direction and ended up falling out of bed. Claudius winced at the crash and commented, "Well, that works. Now please get ready."

Then there was a flash of light, and Claudius was gone.

----------------

Claudius reappeared in Vilyn's room and blinked. Vilyn was there standing in the middle of it, fully clothed with his sword on his back. He noticed that he had apparently made his bed. "Well, that was awfully quick." He then snapped his fingers and they were gone.

----------------

Claudius and Vilyn both appeared in a rather large, empty room. It was circular in shape, and there were no doors or windows, though torches lined the walls and a strange green light emanated from the ceiling, giving off plenty of light. There was a singe chair in the middle of the room. "You know, I'm really starting to get tired of that whole teleporting deal," Vilyn commented.

Claudius turned to look at him and said, "Don't complain. This city was built around that power, making walking necessary in only the most extreme circumstances. Many of the places in the city, such as this training room, can't even be reached without the power. Now, there are three rules you must abide by here. The first is that you must never reveal to Selena who you are. You may tell her your name, but aside from that, you are just another Order soldier. The second rule is that you will not be allowed to ask any questions. This session is not being held for you, it's being held for her. The third rule is that under no circumstances are you to harm her. You see, your purpose here is to both guard her, and serve as her trainer in the use of weapons. While I despise such crude methods of combat, the Master will inevitably wish to test her. And since she isn't yet powerful enough in the use of magic, and since her powers have yet to manifest, she will need to know how to defend herself. Understand? Good."

Before Vilyn could even respond, Claudius was gone in another flash of light.

----------------

An hour later, Claudius reappeared with Selena in tow. Vilyn had decided to lay down on the ground, since the chair obviously wasn't for him. He soon found both of them looking down at him, Claudius with an expression of extreme annoyance, while Selena seemed to be very pleased with herself. "Selena, this is Vilyn. Vilyn, this is Selena. Now that you've been introduced, how about you stand up. Selena, go sit down, and please not another word. I've already wasted enough time with you."

Selena sat down in the wooden chair in the middle of the room, while Vilyn went to stand next to Claudius, who was standing a few feet in front of Selena. "Good. Now, my purpose here today will be to instruct on the rules and ranks of the Order, as well as a small bit of it's history. Once I'm done, Vilyn will instruct in the various methods of armed combat. When we get to that point, a sword will be provided for you."

"Now then, the rules of the Order are very simple. First of all, we have a very strict ranking system. If someone tells you do something, and they are a higher rank than you, then you must do whatever they say, no matter what it is, without question. You must never do harm to another member of the Order, unless as a form of punishment for failure. In that case, you, as the superior officer, must determine how harsh the punishment should be. You must never steal from another member of the Order, nor can you spread slander or speak badly of your fellows. Very few people seem to follow that rule these days, but it is still a rule, and I will expect you to abide by it. You may never leave Gardenhall without the permission of a superior, and when you do, you must use total secrecy, insuring that no one notices you. If someone does notice you while in the outside world, you must kill them. You are never to go to the Halls of the Forgotten without the express permission of the Master himself, or one of the Old Guard. The Halls of the Forgotten are where the Council chambers are located, and where you woke up. There are many dangers that walk those halls these days, and going in by yourself is essentially suicide."

"The ranks are also simple. At the bottom are the mindless drones, the mainstay of our army. They are not true members of the Order, and thus can be ordered around by anyone. Since they're basically zombies, I don't think they mind too much. Next up are the New Blood, the newly initiated. They have yet to earn their cloak and are still in training. That is your rank. Above them are the Soldiers, the regular members of the Order. After that, the Guardsmen, who serve as the personal guards of the higher ranks, the elite soldiers. Beyond them are the Educators, the trainers of the New Blood. Vilyn is of this rank. Then, the Lieutenants. There are two Lieutenants to each Lord, and they are hand picked by them based on their loyalty and skill. Finally, there are the Lords, the Commanders. They are split into two factions. The first is the Old Guard, the founders of the Order, blessed with immortality and special powers beyond that of the normal person. They are numbers One through Five. The second faction is the New Guard, those selected by the Master to lead his armies. They are average people who have been made stronger by the Master's powers. They are Six through Ten."

"Each Lord of the Old Guard commands his own Division, their own specialty. Berich, the Master, commands all. Rasien, the Second, is in command of Research and Development, charged with creating new technology and new forms of magic. Malinus, the Third, commands the Barracks, and is in charge with recruitment and overseeing the training of the New Blood. I, Claudius, the Fourth, am in command of Intelligence, gathering information from across the world. Alexia, the Fifth, is in command of the Assassins, secretly killing all who oppose us from the shadows. The New Guard may be ordered to assist these Divisions from time to time, but they have no Division of their own. Instead, they are granted companies by the Master, large groups of soldiers ranging from fifty in number to five-hundred, depending on the age of the company and how well they do in battle."

"Now then, questions? None? Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things I must attend to." And so Claudius disappeared in a flash of red light once again, not even giving Selena the chance to ask a question, and leaving two very confused people in his wake. A few uncomfortable minutes of silence later, and a blade was teleported into the room. It appeared to be a standard steel longsword.

"Well, we don't have all day. Go pick it up and get ready to begin your training," Vilyn barked, taking over the same persona he had when training new members of the Fighter's Guild.

"Funny, and here I was thinking all we have is time," Selena said as she picked up the sword.

Vilyn just sighed and drew his Dai-Katana, praying that this girl had at least some experience with a sword. It didn't seem likely though.

----------------

Roland continued walking in silence, trying hard not to pay attention to the Khajit in front of him. Dro'shanji was one of the most annoying people he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. He never called him by his name, he was constantly insulting him in one way or another, and his way of talking was, quite frankly, confusing for the not so bright Breton. He had lost count of how many hours they had been walking now, but he was beginning to get hungry.

He was about to ask Dro'shanji if they could stop to find something to eat when the Khajit stopped in his tracks. His ears perked up and stood completely still. "Horses, coming fast. Off the road, Breton!"

Before he could respond, the Khajit had dragged him into the bushes beside the road. He crouched down, waiting to see who was coming. A few moments later, three horses came by their hiding spot. They were moving at a full gallop, but Roland could see the Legion Armor they wore. Before Dro'shanji could do anything, he bolted out of the brush and shouted as loudly as he could, "Hey, over here! Over here!"

The horses turned around and their riders drew their swords. Roland felt himself take a step back as they came closer, but he didn't run. Eventually, they got off their horses and approached him, swords drawn. "Who are you, Breton?"

"My name is Roland, and I'm from Bravil. Dro'shanji and I escaped from Bravil. These guys in blue cloaks attacked it and burned it to the ground."

The Legionnaires looked at each other and whispered some things that Roland couldn't hear. The leader turned to him and asked, "So then you have no where to go? No family?"

"No. Bravil was my home, and most of my family was dead already."

"Well then congratulations, Breton. You've just been conscripted into the Legion. The Chancellor's declared an emergency, and all that can wield a weapon are to fight. Get on my horse, Breton, and we'll take you back to camp."

_Great, more people who refuse to say my name._"What about Dro'shanji?"

One of the Legionnaires had gone over to where Roland had been hiding earlier with the Khajit came back and said, "No one is over there sir. If this Dro'shanji is actually real, then he split while this one was talking."

The lead Imperial nodded towards his horse and Roland walked over towards it, preparing to mount. He hated horses, but he supposed he didn't have a choice. He briefly wondered why the Khajiit had run away, but quickly put it out of his mind. After all, with him gone, things would probably be a lot less annoying.

----------------

Mariana ran through the brush, moving quickly. She noted that Aurrus could barely keep up with her, but payed him no mind. They had to get to Bravil as quickly as possible, and there probably wasn't much time left. She continued this sprint for another hour before finally stopping. She wasn't that tired, but she knew Aurrus needed rest. They had been running for most of the day, and even the members of the Dark Brotherhood couldn't run indefinitely. Well, Mariana could, almost, but she was the Listener, and had restore fatigue spells ready. But Aurrus was completely exhausted. They didn't use the roads so that they wouldn't run into any travelers or Legion Patrols. After all, the Dark Brotherhood uniform wasn't the most inconspicuous piece of clothing out there.

She leaned against a tree as Aurrus practically collasped on the ground, gasping for breath. She tossed him a goatskin bag she had filled with water, but he obviously wasn't paying attention, because it hit him in the head. He didn't complain though, and grabbed it, tearing the cap off and taking a long drink. When he was finished, he gasped out a thank you and tossed it back to her. She caught it in one hand and refastened it to her belt before sitting down on the ground, still leaning against the tree. "We're moving too slowly. If we don't hurry, whoever destroyed the Cheydinhal Sanctuary will reach Bravil before us."

Aurrus didn't respond, but simply stared at her, as if waiting for her to continue. She didn't. She just sat there, staring up at the sky for another ten minutes before rising again and saying, "That's enough rest. Back to running."

Aurrus groaned but complied, getting up and following after her. He felt even more shame knowing the only reason they had had to stop in the first place was because of him.

----------------

Meanwhile, in the Legions main camp, a crowd was gathering. In the middle of the hundreds of Legionnaires, on top of a stage, stands a burly Nord. Behind him are three figures, kneeling on the ground with bags tied over their heads. He began to speak in a loud, commanding voice.

"Hear me, my friends and siblings of the Legion! Hear me and listen well! Our land, our homes, our very way of life have come under a vicious attack by enemies that, until very recently, were unknown to us. But now, thanks to a few of our brave Legionnaires, we have captured some of them alive. After many hours of persistent questioning, we now know who our enemies are. They call themselves the Order of the Blue Rose, and they say they are doing the Gods' will. They lie! They truly seek to destroy the Gods and all those under their protection. They are no better than the Daedra! No, no in fact they are worse, for they've caused more casualties already than the Daedra ever did."

"I have called for an emergency conscription of all available men, and once they have gathered here, we shall march on them and bury them beneath us. The might of the Imperial Legion cannot be matched! We have spread Imperial power and culture to every corner of this continent. We have crushed every foe that stood against our assault. These people will be no different, and I say that when we are through, there will be not one of them left to speak of our strength! They killed the Emperor, destroyed the capital, and killed thousands of people. For this unmatchable crime, they shall suffer the maximum penalty. Their leaders shall bow to us and beg for mercy before the end!"

"It has recently come to our attention that these foul people have attacked the cities of Bruma, Bravil, and Skingrad. Hundreds of people died in Bruma, and the compound of the Blades was destroyed. Bravil was burned to the ground and there were few survivors. And Skingrad... Skingrad is now in their hands! Shall we let them hold it, not knowing what horrors await it's innocent inhabitants! No! Soon, very soon, we shall march and liberate the city of Skingrad. We shall take revenge for the cities of Bruma and Bravil, for the Emperor, and for all those whom they have killed! If anyone thinks we should not, then let them speak now."

Silence reigned throughout the crowd. Even if some of the people wished to speak out, and most did not, they were too afraid of the consequences if they did. After all, who knows what people might do when roused to such a fervor.

"Good! It shall be my honor to serve alongside you all. Now watch, and witness the fate of all who dare to defy the power of the Legion!"

The Nord drew his longsword and advanced towards the kneeling forms. It wasn't long before blood began to pool on the stage and the crowd erupted in cheers.

**A/N:** _Well, I frankly found this chapter annoying. Due to my lack of available time this week, this took me the better part of three days to write. Plus the fact that I kept losing my train of thought in the middle of typing. I just don't like the way this turned out. I don't know why, I just don't like it._


	9. Chapter 8: To Build a New System

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Eight: To Build a New System_

"You have failed me, Caius. Again and again you make mistakes. But now, your blunder may prove costly to us all. In your anger, you left your men behind, assuming that the Legion would kill them. You were wrong. They captured three of them, including your dear Lieutenant, and they forced information out of them. Who knows how much they now know of us. But don't worry, for their punishment was eventually fulfilled. They were executed, after giving up our secrets. Now, for your supreme failure in this matter, you must be punished. Tell me, what do you think I should do to you, Caius?"

"Master, please forgive me! I didn't know this would happen. If you would grant me an army, I could lead them and crush the Legion for you."

"No, I don't think you could. Your sword is your most prized possession, is it not? You are so very confident in your combat abilities. And you rely completely on that sword and your sword arm to get you what you want. So long as you hold that sword in your hands, you feel invincible. Perhaps I should take away that feeling of invincibility?"

Caius backed up trying desperately to get away, but found that Berich's gaze seemed to be keeping him from doing so. "Perhaps you should lose that arm you hold so dear, and in losing it, lose your sword as well. That sword, and your abilities with it, represent your pride. I think it's time to crush that pride of yours."

For the next several minutes, nothing but screams could be heard from Berich's rooms.

---------------

A flash of red light interrupted the fight between Vilyn and Selena. Both stopped what they were doing and looked across the room towards the figure that was now staring at them. He was still cloaked and it was obviously not Claudius, as this person was taller. The figure walked over towards them and removed his hood, revealing an ancient looking Altmer. It seemed shocking that anyone could appear so old and still be alive. He was practically a skeleton. He had very little hair left, and what was left was a dirty, grey color. After looking them over for a few moments, he began to speak.

"Your session with this man is over, Ms. Jucanis. If you would please come with me."

The figure then snapped his fingers, and he and Selena disappeared in yet another flash of red light. Unfortunately, this left poor Vilyn alone. Rasien hadn't bothered to teleport him back to his room. He sat down in frustration and waited for someone to come get him.

---------------

In another flash of red light, the two appeared in a massive room, completely filled with bookcases. It was very dark, and a thick layer of dust covered almost everything, but there was a certain feel of grandness, because of the room's size. You could stare off into the distance and not see the walls. Selena looked around in amazement at the sight of all these books. She had always loved reading.

"A wonderful sight, is it not? This is my library, where all the knowledge of the Order is collected and archived. Every book known to Tamriel, every shred of knowledge, every piece of research ever written down, it is all collected here. I made it my life's work to create this place, but very few will ever see it. Berich has asked me to teach you. I shall answer any question you ask and will attempt to help you unlock your powers. Though I'm sure Claudius would have preferred to do this himself, he is a very busy man, and doesn't have the time. I, on the other hand, have nothing but time. With experiments that practically take care of themselves, I am often left with nothing to do. I am also far too old to go out on missions. So hopefully this little session will relieve my infinite boredom."

Selena looked at the ancient Altmer in curiosity, questions already forming in her head. "Why is it that every time I use that teleportation thing, it feels like I've lost something?"

"Perhaps because you have. You see, our method of teleportation relies on a certain stone. This stone requires souls to power. While that matter is always taken care of, it still requires a certain amount of energy from the person being teleported. That is likely what you feel. Every time you are teleported, you lose a small amount of your soul. It will recharge however, so unless you do it in excessive amounts, you'll be in no danger."

Selena was horrified at the thought of losing her soul, but kept a straight face. "What about that place... I think Claudius called it the Halls of the Forgotten. why did I feel like someone was watching me there?"

"Again, your feeling was correct. Someone was watching you, though it may be appropriate to call them something. They are the Forgotten, and we do not speak of them. Suffice to say that they are no manner of creature with which you are familiar, and you should avoid them at all costs. The shadows can be very dangerous."

"I have one last question. What purpose does the Order truly exist for? What purpose was there in destroying my home? Surely you cannot believe it was the will of the Gods?"

"Whether is was or wasn't isn't my concern. It was a necessary act. A cruel one, but necessary. There will be many more cruel acts to come in the future, but they too will be necessary. As for the purpose of the Order, there is no true purpose, for it's goals constantly shift. But for the moment, our goal is the destruction of the Empire, the creation of a new and better state. And to do that, all traces of it must be wiped from the planet. There must be no survivors, no man to tell tales of it's glory days or victories. If that means the total destruction of every city and all the people in it, so be it. It is necessary. After all, one thing that has been proven is that in order to create a new system, the old must be burned to the ground..."

---------------

"What do you want, Darnmon?"

"Easy, Alexia, I simply want to talk."

"It had better be important. If not, I think I've found my new training partner."

"No need to become violent. I simply wished to discuss a partnership."

"Oh really? What could you possibly want from me, hmm? I have no need to help you in any of your endeavors, lapdog."

"Be silent you fool! You have no idea what you're talking about. I want you to help me to kill Claudius."

"..."

"If you help me, we could kill that girl that angered you so. Think about it, Alexia. What reason does she have to be in the Order? What did she do to deserve her spot? Nothing! We worked so hard for so long to gain our positions, and she just walks in and becomes a member? And Claudius. Him and his schemes within schemes. He's a danger to the Order, more so than any person on the outside. I don't know what he's planning, but it will be the death of us all! What do you say?"

"..."

"Well, will you help me?"

"Will I help you? Will I help you kill a fellow member of the Council of Roses, betray Berich's trust, and most definitely incite his anger? No, no I think I'll kill you instead!"

A loud banging noise could be heard, and then a bright blue light lit up the dark room in which the two figures were talking. One, still hooded, was pinned against the wall with a Daedric dagger pressed up against his neck. The other, a woman, had lost her hood. She was revealed to be a strikingly beautiful woman with long, blond hair. She had blue eyes, brightly lit with rage, and in her other hand, a sparking blue ball of lightning lit up everything around them. It was dangerously close to the cloaked figures face. Just a few more inches and he'd be fried.

"Wait! Alexia, wait! Just think about this! What did I do to wrong you? Nothing! Claudius has! He's plotted against you over and over again, disrupted your plans, he's done so for all of us. Just think of much easier things will be without him. And we can kill him quietly, carefully. No one, not even Berich will be able to figure out who did it! Please Alexia, see reason!"

After staring at the Dunmer for a few more moments, Alexia allowed her shock spell to dissapate, but her dagger remained where it had been. "I will let you live, for now. If you can give me a plan that will actually work, then I may help you. Until then, stay out of my way. And if you do approach me with this ridiculous plan again, with no way of making it work, I will kill you. Unlike Claudius, you're a lower rank than me, so I can do whatever I want. And allow me to guarantee that your death will be as slow and painful as possible, lapdog. I can be very creative, you know."

She then disappeared in a flash of red light, leaving the Dunmer alone in the room. He was smiling under his hood. Things had gone about as well as he had expected them to. "One down, three to go."

---------------

"So how exactly are you supposed to help me develop my powers?"

Rasien looked over to her from the desk he was writing at. "I shall guide you with words how to realize, understand, and eventually harness your powers. It may take a very long time, if it ever works at all, but I shall try nonetheless."

"So then where do we start? You obviously already know what my power is, why don't you just tell me? Wouldn't that make things quicker?"

"Knowing does not equal understanding. If you are to learn your powers, you must find them yourself. Me telling you what they are would do nothing."

"Alright, then how do we start?"

"Do you have faith that the Gods will guide your path?"

"What? Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Do you believe that they are infallible, that they are unkillable, that everything that happens in this world is their will?"

"To the first two yes. To the last, no. I believe what happens in this realm is the will of the people in it, not of the Divines. There are too many horrible things happening, and I know the Divines would never want such things."

"Do you believe that the Aedra, the Divines, are good, and the Daedric Princes evil?"

"Of course! How could the Daedra not be evil? Look at the Oblivion Crisis. How could the being responsible for that not be evil?"

"Ah, but you are talking of Mehrunes Dagon. He is not evil. It is his purpose to cause bloodshed. His sphere is, after all, Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, and Ambition. He is a counter to the Aedra, nothing more. There is no such thing as good or evil, just many different shades of gray. Just as the Daedra are evil to you, they are good to others. Look at Azura. And just as the Divines are holy and good to you, they are evil to others. Everything is a matter of opinion. In truth, neither is good or evil, they simply create a balance through their acts. You could not have nonstop destruction; you require growth and peace. Just as peace and growth can only last so long, until it must be destroyed to make way for a new society or system. So long as you can understand this, we may proceed. It seems obvious to me, however, that you are stuck in your beliefs. Until you change your train of thought, I cannot help you."

Rasien waved lazily with one hand, and the girl disappeared in another flash of light. His breathing became heavy. It was becoming increasingly harder to use the stone now. Very soon, he may have to retire.

---------------

Two cloaked figures stood in the bedroom of the former Count of Skingrad.

"What do you say, Eridor, will you help me?"

"And why should I? What has Claudius, or the girl for that matter, done to me?"

"He may not have done anything to you yet, but he will eventually. And the girl is part of his latest plan!"

"You can't fool me, Darnmon. I see right though you. Though the others would call you a lapdog, I see you for what you are. A rabid dog, ready to strike at the hand of his own master. You kill Claudius, and how long will it be until you target the Master himself? In order to kill him, you would have to destroy the entire Council of Roses. You would completely overturn the rankings of the Order. It would cause chaos, not to mention the wrath of the Gods themselves if everything the Master preaches is true. Why should I risk myself for your insane plan?"

"Because my insane plan will work, and when the time comes for me to topple Berich, there will only be those with me, and against me. Those with me will take their place on the new council. Those against me will die. Which side would you rather be on?"

"..."

"Well?"

"Very well then Darnmon, I'll help you. But if things start looking bad for us, I won't hesitate to kill you. It might actually save me from Berich's wrath."

---------------

A flash of light woke Vilyn from his slumber. He looked over towards it and saw a beautiful woman with blond hair staring at him with an annoyed expression. He got to his feet and walked over to her. He greeted her, then asked what she was doing here.

"Oh shut up. I'm just here to send you back to your room because everyone else is so damn busy. Just hold still. I wouldn't want to accidentally teleport you over the ocean somewhere, now would I?" she said, with some amount of sarcasm.

Vilyn was taken aback by her rudeness, but before he could reply, he was back in his room. He went over to his bed and laid down, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into. Not for the first time, he wondered if his daughter was safe.

**A/N:** _Sorry this took me so long, but I've been extremely busy lately, and haven't had the time to write. Once exams come and go next month, I ought to be able to go back to a good pace. Oh, and you know the spellchecker on this site says teleport isn't a word? Weird._


	10. Chapter 9: Plans Within Plans

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Nine: Plans Within Plans_

"Wait."

Aurrus paused in mid-stride as Mariana suddenly stopped. He glanced over at her, and saw that she was staring at a bush. He was going to ask her what was wrong before seeing the slight glow to her eyes, indicating that she was using a detect life spell. He copied her and looked towards the bush again, and this time he saw it. Off in the distance were two lifeforms. They were facing each other and one was making hand movements. They were probably in a conversation.

The pair moved closer to the unknown figures, and when they had gotten close enough to overhear what they were saying, they activated invisibility spells. He saw Mariana climb up into a tree to get a better view, and he copied her action, again. The sight of the pair made Aurrus's blood run cold. They were both garbed in the same blue cloak that the man who had attacked the Sanctuary had been in. They both had their hoods up, so it was impossible to see what they looked like, but they were both definitely female.

Aurrus was so stunned by their appearance that it took him a moment to register that the two figures were standing in the middle of a road. If Mariana hadn't spotted them, they would have run straight out into the open. Aurrus supposed that the road must be one of the many lesser traveled roads that circles the Imperial City. Then the one closest to them began speaking, and Aurrus paid rapt attention, eager to learn anything of the mysterious people that he could.

"I don't understand why we have to wait for everyone all the way out here. Why couldn't we just have the meeting somewhere in Skingrad? It would certainly be a lot more comfortable."

"Because Lady Alexia demanded it."

"Yes, I know, but still. It just seems strange that we're meeting all the way out here when we could be having some fun with the drones in Skingrad or in a real council chamber in Gardenhall."

"It's her decision, don't question it. Remember our position and what we do. Lady Alexia probably has something to tell us that she doesn't those other cockroaches in the Order to hear."

As the second figure finished speaking, three more figures appeared in a flash of light. The one who had just been talking spoke up again. "I see you guys had scrolls. Or did you go and beg the guys and R&D to transport you here? Cause I know none of you half-wits know how to use that teleportation spell."

The leader of the three approaching figures lowered his hood and revealed an Argonian with bright, red scales. "Ah, but look who is talking, hmm. The girl who could never master even the most simple Alteration spell. Even the lowly shield is beyond your grasp, and yet you criticize me? For your information, Trianna, I had the use of a scroll. You see, unlike you, I am not lazy and forgetful, and I do not misplace my items of importance."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up, ya stupid lizard."

"Lizard I may be, Trianna, but stupid... Well, I do believe that the correct expression would be the pot calling the kettle black?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A loud voice boomed over the group, nearly making Aurrus fall out of his position in the tree.

A figure walked out from the brush on the other side of the road. She was a beautiful woman with blonde hair, but she had a scowl on her face and appeared thoroughly angry. She was flanked by two figures, both with their hoods up. All five others immediately bowed their heads and murmured apologies.

"You all stand here bickering amongst yourselves, and no one so much as tries a life detect spell to observe our surroundings? Perhaps had you been more careful, you would have noticed the spies listening to EVERY WORD YOU'VE SAID!"

The blonde lady then raised her right hand with her palm facing the tree he was sitting in. Aurrus knew what would happen before the lightning left her hand and blew the tree to pieces. Aurrus flew forwards, landing on the ground in a very painful manner. Mariana was more elegant. As soon as the woman began to speak, she leapt from the tree, and in a move nearly beyond a normal humans ability, spun in the air and unsheathed her sword at her waist in the same movement. She passed over the startled figures in blue cloaks who were frozen in shock and landed in a crouch behind them. She then straightened her back and pointed her sword at the nearest figure, the red Argonian.

"Come and meet your deaths fools. The Void waits for you!"

The blonde lady seemed to bristle with rage, the shouted, "Well? What are all you morons just standing there for? Kill her! Kill the Brotherhood scum! Damn that Darnmon, he set me up!"

The next moment, she disappeared in another flash of red light, leaving seven people to surround the Listener. Mariana continually shifted her glance between the figures around her, pointing her silver shortsword at each in turn. The first, one of the cloaked figures that had appeared with the Argonian, charged, his steel longsword held high. Too high. Mariana spun, swinging her sword in a horizontal path and cutting the man open. He fell backwards gripping his stomach in intense pain as blood pooled around his body. A few moments later, the other three cloaked figures that had been here before the blonde lady arrived charged, hoping to overwhelm the Listener with numbers. The first swung his steel shortsword low, towards her knees. Mariana casually deflected the blow as she ducked underneath the second strike. The elven longsword impacted on a steel claymore, that was coming down vertically towards Mariana's head. The second and third blows canceled each other out, and the two figures stumbled back from the unexpected impact, trying to regain their balance. Mariana then reached out towards the nearest figure, which happened to be the woman that they had first heard, and snapped her neck. Perhaps, had the woman been paying proper attention, she might have countered, but she had foolishly glanced at the two figures regaining their balance for a moment. That moment was all the expert assassin had needed.

The other two figures began circling her again, both watching her carefully and waiting for an opportunity. Unfortunately for them, they had overlooked one small detail. Aurrus. The Brotherhhood member hadn't simply been watching the fighting the whole time, he had drawn his bow and nocked an arrow. Though it had taken him a while to line up a shot, he finally had one. He let the arrow fly, and it landed square in the back of the second woman, who promptly burst into flames amid cries of agony. All of Aurrus's arrows were enchanted in some way or another. This time it had been fire. He nocked another arrow and aimed at the other man, but he had seen this coming. As the arrow flew towards him, he reached out with his hand and grasped it in mid-flight with telekinesis. The arrow turned in the air and sped back towards Aurrus, whose face was a mix of fear and shock. The arrow stopped a mere inch from his left eye. Through his right he saw a blade protruding out of the man's stomach. Mariana pulled the blade out of him, and the man fell to his knees. Mariana then promptly beheaded him. As his head hit the ground, so did the arrow.

The red Argonian hissed and nocked an arrow to the bow he had just taken off his back. He loosed the arrow at Mariana and it flew true, hitting her in the chest. Unfortunately, it just bounced off. A slight glow emanated from her body, then dissipated, the sign of a shield spell. The Argonian hissed even louder, then dropped his bow and drew a silver longsword. Before he could even take a step forward, an elven dagger found it's mark and hit him in the head. Using telekinesis, she removed the dagger from his head and returned it to her hand. She put it back on her belt, then turned to face the last blue-cloaked figures.

The two figures that had arrived with the woman looked at each other for a few moments, then one nodded, as if a silent agreement had been reached. The one who had nodded stepped forwards and took the bow off his back. The other disappearedin a flash of red light. The only remaining member of the Order removed his hood and revealed his face as that of an elderly Redguard, most likely in his fifties. He was bald and his blue eyes seemed very dull, almost lifeless.

"Hear me, Brotherhood scum, and know that you now face Karon, First Lieutenant under the Lady Alexia, and the one of the best assassins the Order has to offer. It should be entertaining to see how long you two last. I haven't had a good test of my power in ages."

Before Aurrus could respond or Mariana could throw her dagger again, three arrows materialized out of nowhere in his hand and, holding one between each finger, he dropped to one knee, took aim, and fired. One arrow went flying towards each of them, while the third had shot towards the space between them. Beyond the arrows, Karon dropped his bow and shot his hand towards the arrow in the middle, which Aurrus now noticed seemed to be going faster than the others. Before he could even wonder what the elderly Redguard was doing, everything exploded in a bright flash of light, and Aurrus could feel a biting pain in his left arm. When his vision cleared, Aurrus found himself on the ground with a Daedric arrow in his arm. The wound burned badly, and it took him only a few moments to realize that the arrow might be poisoned. He ripped the arrow out of his arm with his free hand and resisted screaming out in pain. The arrow came out, but a rather large portion of his skin came with it. Using what little was left of his draining strength, he pulled a potion out of the pouch at his side, took off the lid, and drank it's entire contents. A few moments later he blacked out.

---------------

"DARNMON!"

The Dunmer looked away from his conversation with Malinus and groaned at the sight of an enraged Alexia storming towards him.

"Alexia, I'm sure that whatever you're mad about now is just a misunderstanding. As you can see, I'm busy recrui-" The Dunmer gasped and dived to the ground as a lightning boly flew over his head and impacted the nearby wall, blowing a significant chunk out of it. "What in the name of the Gods has gotten into you?"

"You set me up, that's what! And now I'm going to kill you!" She threw her hand forward again and another bolt of lightning went racing towards the now terrified Dunmer. Malinus moved in front of him and held his hand up, allowing the spell to hit the palm of his hand, where it simply dissipated.

"That's enough five. Please explain what has made you angry with seven and I'll decide if you get to kill him or not."

"What? Malinus, you can't let her kill me!" Darnmon looked back and forth between the giant of a man, who still had his hood up, and the beautiful but wrathful figure of Alexia.

"I most certainly can. It would prove very entertaining to watch Alexia tear you to pieces, though I do request that if you do kill him, at least let me go get Aleron so he can watch too."

Darnmon just stared horrified at the pair from his postion on the floor.

"This worm set me up. We were set to meet and discuss..."

"It's okay Alexia, I know what you're talking about."

"Ahem, yes. We were set to meet up near one of the less traveled roads going around Lake Rumare. I didn't have a clue why he chose that spot, but he did, and when I arrived there, I discovered two Dark Brotherhood members there spying on my group. It wasn't anyone important of course, just a few of the typical soldiers, so they're probably dead right now. I left my two Lieutenants there though, and I'm confident that they killed the scum."

"I see one flaw in your logic, five."

"Oh? And what is that?"

At this point Darnmon cut in. "Like why in Oblivion would I make any sort of deal with the Brotherhood!"

"I don't know! The point is they were there and that's where you told me to go! Can I please kill him now Malinus?"

"As much as I would like to see that, five, I'm afraid you can't. Darnmon has a good point, he has no reason to aid the Dark Brotherhood and vice-versa. It was probably just a coincidence that they were there. It's highly unlikely, but it's also the most likely option. Now come on, both of you. We have to go and collect Eridor and Caius before they stumble across your little predicament."

---------------

Mariana immediately recognized what Karon was trying to do. When the middle arrow exploded, she flattened herself to the ground to avoid the explosion of light. A spilt second later, she heard the last arrow whiz over her, and she jumped up, charging towards her opponent, who was likewise charging with a Daedric longsword. Right before the collision, she jumped up into the air, focusing some of her magicka into the soles of her feet to increase the height of the jump. As she passed over his head, she stabbed downwards towards his neck. Karon countered by throwing his hand up and releasing a large amount of pure magicka, sending Mariana flying much farther than she had originally hoped. She hit the ground in a heap, and before she could recover, Karon was above her, bringing his sword down for a fatal blow. She saved herself by using the same technique that Karon has used a moment earlier. She released a large amount of pure magicka from her hand, sending Karon flying across the road.

They both got up at the same time and went into their respective stances. Mariana held her sword diagonally in front of her, and it gave off a slight glow, a sign that she had reinforced it with magicka so that it wouldn't be sliced in half by the Daedric metal. Karon pointed his sword at her and began to jump back and forth, left and right. It made it harder to judge how he would attack. As they stared at each other, the same idea occurred to both of them. They both disappeared under an invisibility spell. When they saw each other disappear, they both activated life detect spells, and the duel continued. The clanging of swords echoed along the road as the invisible figures fought. A few minutes later their spells wore off, and they were revealed. To the untrained eye, it might have looked like a well choreographed dance, but the result would most definitely be fatal.

The duel continued, their swords twirling about almost faster than the eye could see. Then, with one, great swing, Karon broke Mariana's sword in half. As the shards of the sword fell to the ground, Mariana backflipped away, barely avoiding a second swing. As she landed on the ground, she threw two daggers at him, followed by a fireball. Karon deflected the first with a swing of his sword, shattering it. The second hit him in the arm, but he apparently ignored he pain, if he could even feel it to begin with. It's been said that when Redguards get their adrenaline going, they stop feeling pain and just keep fighting, no matter what the wound. Finally, he reflected the fireball back at Mariana with his hand.

Mariana dodged to the side as the fireball lit a group of trees behind her, then switched to shock spells. She collected as much power as she could in both hands, then shot her lightning spells at him in a continuous wave. He lifted his sword and and held it with both hands, trying desperately to hold back the wave of deadly electricity. Sweat formed on his forehead and he began to back up as the shock spells overpowered him. Finally, with one final surge of strength, he released all of his magicka into a reflect spell and shot the shock spell off into the sky. He didn't have enough strength to send it straight back at her. As he stood there, panting, he realized something. Mariana hadn't even started to sweat. She was just standing there, still as calm and stoic as when she had first started fighting. He realized that he needed to change tactics.

"Why do you continue to fight, Daughter of the Void? You have been defeated. Even if you kill me, as seems likely now, you cannot win the larger battle. You are but one person. All your Brothers and Sisters are all dead, slaughtered by the bringers of peace and order. The city of Bravil, your headquarters and home to that foul being that you worship as a god has been burned to ashes. Every Sanctuary across Tamriel has been found and torched. Give up now, Daughter of the Void, and I promise you a quick, painless death."

Mariana's face contorted in rage. "Be silent you senile old fool. Every word out of your mouth is a lie. My Brothers and Sisters no doubt hunt your Order as we speak. Only when every member of your despicable group has been sent to the Void will I be happy. Now, you shall be my first tribute to the Night Mother to make up for my blunder at the Cheydinhal Sanctuary!"

Mariana then charged again, a Daedric shortsword forming in her hands. As she came within striking distance, Karon smiled. He shot his foot forward in the dirt, causing a massive cloud of dust to momentarily blind the Listener. Knowing that she would most likely die in this moment, she struck out randomly in Karon's direction.

---------------

Three flashes of red light lit up a small room that had been blanketed by darkness. A few moments later, a bright green glow illuminated the room.

"Ugh, this is where Caius lives? Disgusting," Alexia said.

Malinus looked over the room and towards a door where he could see light under it. "Don't be too hard on him, five. I doubt you would know or care, but Berich punished him quite severely for his blunder with the Thieves Guild."

"Oh? What exactly was this punishment?"

"He removed his sword arm and had him immediately demoted. Apparently he hasn't decided who will take his chair in the council."

Alexia just smiled. Darnmon watched her with a scowl and was no doubt remembering how she had been trying to kill him a moment earlier. Just as Malinus was reaching to open the door, Alexia spoke again. "So, if he no longer has any authority or power, why are we using him?"

This time it was Darnmon who responded. "Because he can be a rally point for the regular soldiers. Caius was well liked. Not by his own men of course, they hated him. But by the army as a whole. They saw him as a glimmer of hope. He rose through the ranks using nothing but hard work and determination. If he could become a Lord, who's to say that one of them couldn't? He is their inspiration. Using him, we can influence many of the common members."

"Why do we even need the support of those peons?"

"Because no system has ever existed for very long without the support of the populace. If we were to kill Claudius, Berich will certainly execute us, but if we have the approval of the majority of people, he may be convinced to spare us."

Malinus then opened the door and stepped inside, with the two others close behind him. Caius was collapsed on his bed, shivering. He looked sick, and bandages covered his right side, which was now missing an arm. Malinus tapped him on the other shoulder. A few moments later, Caius got out of bed and looked up at his visitors. He looked much worse than any of them had thought he would. He looked as though some ghastly disease had worked it's way through his body.

"What... What do you all want?"

Darnmon stepped forward and eyed the man now in shambles with disdain. "How would you like some revenge?"

---------------

As Aurrus slowly regained consciousness, he realized that there were no more sounds of battle. While he couldn't be sure, he'd be willing to bet that Mariana had killed him pretty quickly. But then why wouldn't she have helped him? Did she consider him enough of a liability to continue on without him? These thoughts continued to whirl through his mind until his vision finally cleared. What he saw shocked him. Mariana was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. The man, Karon was standing over her with a strange look on his face, and his side was covered in blood from a near fatal blow. Time seemed frozen to Aurrus. It seemed impossible to him that the Listener, the greatest assassin to ever live, could possible have been killed by some feeble looking Redguard. As the Redguard slowly turned to face him, fear overcame Aurrus's senses. He tried desperately to get to his feet and run, but he was still too weak from the poisoned arrow. He could only watch as the Redguard slowly made his way towards him, his sword dripping with Mariana's blood. He was holding his side with his spare hand, and every movement seemed to cause him great pain.

In a last attempt at stopping the Redguard, he lifted his arm and shot a frost spell at him. It hit him in the leg, and before long, his right leg was encased in ice. Karon just kept moving though, dragging his now frozen leg across the ground. A few moments later, he was above him, raising his sword for the finishing blow. With his last ounce of strength, Aurrus shot a frost spell at his arm, and froze his sword arm in place. Karon growled angrily and summoned another Daedric sword in his free hand.

"You Brotherhood scum are like cockroaches... You just... Refuse... To die... But after this... I can say that I finished off your... Famous cult... Now just lie there like a good boy... And die!"

Aurrus closed his eyes as the sword came down to impale him.

---------------

"Eridor!"

The diminutive general turned at the familiar voice and was shocked to see four of his fellow members of the council standing in front of him.

"What are you idiots doing in Castle Skingrad! You should know better, Claudius has spies everywhere!"

Malinus looked at the Bosmer calmly as he yelled at them for their incompetence. It wasn't long before he began to annoy him. Eventually, he just interrupted him mid-sentence. "Shut up you stupid little twit! Don't you think we understand that Claudius has spies? But you would think, that with you now living here, that you would at least have this room secured. Now is it?"

"Well yes, but-"

"Then just shut your mouth before I let Alexia electrocute you like I know she's thinking. The meeting place has been compromised by the Dark Brotherhood. Instead, we're going to use this room as our meeting place, since I'm sure that Claudius has no power here."

"What? But you can't! What if someone were to come in during our talking? I'd be the first one to be executed!"

At this point Alexia just sneered at him. "Oh, why don't you grow up you little coward."

"But what about the soldiers we had planned to include in the meeting?"

"As if they really matter at all. Mine were probably killed by those Brotherhood scum anyway. They were only going to be here so we'd have someone to spread the word to the masses anyway. But it'd be simpler if we kept things under wraps now."

Darnmon cut it at this point. "Exactly. As you said, Claudius has spies everywhere, so things will be easier if we don't inform the commoners until the moment we strike. Before that and we risk being exposed. Once we reach that point though, we can have Caius rally them and lead them in rebellion before they even realize what they're fighting against."

"Very well then, but lets make this as quick as possible. I have many things that occupy my attention in Skingrad, and the longer I ignore those duties, the more suspicious people will be."

"Lets get to work then."

---------------

A few moments later, Aurrus opened his eyes after hearing a loud thump next to him. Once again, he was shocked to see Karon on the ground next to him, with an arrow where his left eye had been. He vaguely heard footsteps coming towards him, but was so absorbed in looking at the dead man's face that he didn't notice the person standing over him until he grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and lifted him to his feet. He then came face to face with his rescuer, a Khajit.

"Move quickly, assassin. More may be here shortly."

"What? Who are you and why did you help... Mariana!"

Aurrus then ran over towards where the Listener had been laying and rolled her over. She was still alive, but just barely. "Listener! Listener! Mariana, can you hear me?"

She groaned and lifted her hand slightly, pointing towards something attached to her belt. Aurrus immediately recognized it as a potion, and quickly removed the cap and poured it into her mouth. After a few moments, she began to speak in a weak voice. "Thank you. I'm not long for this world, Brother. That potion will only allow me to do one final thing before I die. I pray that She will guide your path."

She then moved her hand and placed it in the pool of her own blood. She chanted something under her breath, and a few moments later, her hand lit up in blue light, and the blood began to rise into the air and turn to vapor. Before long, it had enveloped the two in a cloud of red vapor. In the middle of it all, a maelstrom of blood, leaves, and dirt swirled. After a few more moments the maelstrom ceased, and in it's place stood the most beautiful woman Aurrus had ever seen. The Night Mother. Aurrus could neither think nor speak as he viewed her spectral form; the shock was more than he could bear. When she began speaking, he nearly fainted.

"My dearest child, I understand why you have summoned me. Though I will regret your loss, it will be your blessing to finally become one with the Void. Sleep, my daughter, and seek the peace you always wanted."

Mariana smiled as the Night Mother spoke, which was another shock to Aurrus. He had never once seen Listener smile, yet now she did, when she was about to die? It seemed insane to Aurrus. When she told her to sleep, Mariana closed her eyes and didn't reopen them. Her skin lost it's color and the rising of her chest ceased. The Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Mariana Catanius, was dead. Aurrus felt like laughing and crying at the same time. The things that were happening were beyond his scope of mind. He could barely believe that any of this was occurring, and was silently praying that it was just a bad dream that he would wake up from.

"Do not fear, my child. This is not a dream, this is reality, and reality is harsh, but I will guide you through it. You are the last of your kind here in Cyrodiil. All the other Sanctuaries have been destroyed, all your brethren massacred, and now my dearest daughter has fallen as well. But so long as you remain, the Brotherhood shall stand. You must now finish your task and kill the ones responsible for this. They are powerful, some infinitely so, but do not worry. You have the power of the Void with you, and in your time of need, you shall not be alone. Some would call the Brotherhood foul, cruel, and evil, but you have all that is righteous to aid you in this task. Both the Divine and Dreaded are watching to see the outcome of this great event, and though I can already see the end, I can do nothing to stop it. But you can. You must travel to Skingrad, where a great battle the likes of which has not been seen for centuries will take place. It will shake the earth and light up the sky. During this battle, all of the enemies commanders will be present. At that moment, it will be all that is just versus all that is corrupt. You must take the opportunity to see the villains killed. When the time comes, it may not be clear who is friend and who is foe, so you must decide for yourself who to trust. But I will give you one piece of advice. The greatest villain of all may be the one you least expect."

Aurrus remained silent thoughout the Night Mother's speech, beyond awed that he was even in her presence. When he finally regained enough of his composure to ask a question, she was gone. As he looked around, he realized that Mariana's body had disappeared as well. The entire experience had been far too much for the poor man to handle, and he fainted just as the Khajiit was running towards him.

---------------

"They don't suspect you, do they?"

"Not at all, Claudius, not at all. They're so busy arguing and going for each other's throats that they don't have enough time to suspect me."

"Then everything is prepared?"

"But of course."

"Good. I think it's about time to set everything in motion. The pieces are in place, the game is set, and I'm ready to play. There's only one missing element. The Champion."

"Lucius? Didn't you track him after sending him on his way?"

"Of course, but somehow he slipped away from my spies. But it doesn't matter. He has his own objectives and I have mine. So long as they don't come into conflict until the very end, things will be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"There's no way that one man can change what is to come."

**A/N:** _Whew, the longest chapter yet! I'd like to thank the people who have been reviewing for taking the time to read this stuff. I know I'm not the best writer, but I enjoy writing this, and I'm glad that someone enjoys reading it. This chapter actually took me much less time than I had originally thought it would, mostly because I had a few unexpected days off from studying. Also, this chapter contained my first real attempt at writing a fight scene, and I'm afraid that I might not have put quite enough detail into it, but then fight scenes aren't really my thing. Oh, and I'm sure you guys can guess who the mystery Khajiit is, right?_


	11. Side Story 1: Mariana Catanius

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story: Mariana Catanius_

It was night in Bravil, and all respectable people had long gone to sleep. But in the darkness, one person stood near the Lucky Old Lady, shrouded in black and completely silent. This person kneeled before the statue and had her hands in front of her as if praying. The wind blew relentlessly, eventually blowing the hood off of her head and revealing a set of blue eyes and long, brown hair. She stayed in that position for at least fifteen more minutes before rising and turning to leave.

As she was walking away, she froze in mid stride as a voice once again reached into her head. _Wait, my dearest daughter. There is something on your mind, something that troubles you. What is it?_

_It's nothing, Night Mother. Please don't worry yourself over a mere mortal like me._

_Nonsense. I can sense your fear, your anger, your sorrow. What is it that causes you such pain? Is it that man? The one you used to serve so loyally? Do you still feel guilt for your actions?_

_Of course I do! It was my fault that he's dead. If I hadn't done what that bastard traitor had ordered, he wouldn't be dead and I would still be his loyal servant._

_Ah, but if you hadn't followed those orders, you would not be the Listener and the traitor would have most likely gone unnoticed for much longer and could have caused more damage._

_More damage! How much more damage could have been caused? A dead Listener, three dead Speakers, three dead Black Hand, all my brothers and sisters from Cheydinhal dead... All of which is my fault. They all died by my hand because I was too stupid to see what was obvious._

_You still do not see the point._

_What is the point then! What's the point to all this death and despair! What's the point to hiding in shadows and never being recognized! What's the point of living like this..._

_The point is that you have no control over these things. Everything is meant to happen. Whether you call it fate or the will of the Gods, it is meant to happen. You live because you must and to serve a higher purpose. If those that live in the shadows did not exist, the world would be so much worse. Though people may fear you and hate you, or not even know you, you truly serve and protect them from the worst that society has to offer. The point is that you are my Listener, my dearest daughter, and your life is worth more to me than all those people combined. I know you grieve for your brothers and sisters. It is only natural. But the past is done and you live in the present. Do not grieve so much for the lost that you lose sight of yourself. Never lose sight of yourself, and never lose sight of your duty. Hard times are coming, I have foreseen it, and you will need to be ready for them, not weeping like a schoolgirl over a lost crush._

_But..._

_No more sorrow over the death of your master. No more fear over whether your decisions are the right ones. No more anger against those who have passed on. If you cannot resolve these problems on your own, look to me, and I shall help you. Remember, Mariana, you are my daughter and you are the daughter of the Void. You are never alone, even in the darkest moments. Your problems will pass and soon you will be able to look towards the future. And when you are on your deathbed and your life flashes before your eyes, when you remember all these things and begin to feel regret once more, know that all your brothers and sisters, your servants and masters, will be waiting for you. The Void is waiting for you._

_Thank you, Night Mother._

_No, thank you my dearest daughter. I look forward to the day that you shall join me in the Void._

Mariana then turned and walked away from the statue, with the slightest hint of a smile on her once troubled face.

_Though I fear that time may come sooner than you expect._

**A/N: **_Well, this was the first of the side-stories I plan to do. I'll be doing these for each character that dies. Since I have so many characters important to the story, I figured that none of the ones that will end up dying will be fleshed out enough. So to remedy that, I'll be writing these. Mariana was the character who I think got the least amount of time, and you really never get to know her in any way. I don't know if this helps any to make you understand the sort of character I wanted her to be, but I hope it helps. Also, I suppose this might be seen as Lucien-OC, if you squint, but I wanted to go for the whole regret for killing everyone than anyone in particular. However, I feel that the regret over him might be stronger regardless, since you get to know him more than anyone else, except maybe for the Sanctuary Brotherhood members__._


	12. Chapter 10: Reversal of Fate

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Ten: Reversal of Fate_

Chaos reigned on the fields outside Firsthold. The slave armies of the Order of the Blue Rose clashed with the armies that once held the Legion at bay and created the Aldmeri Dominion. This battle had raged for days as the Order continuously brought in new troops and as the Altmer raised the dead to continue the fight. At one point, it seemed like the Order would finally break through the Aldmeri lines, but then a second army arrived from Lilandril, reinforcing the defenders with fresh troops, many of whom were of the savage beast races. Goblins, trolls, and ogres, combined with the Aldmeri army, pushed the Order back to Westguard.

Though the defeat was devastating to the Order, their commander, Lord Joran, attacked again, this time unleashing his elite guardsman and his Lieutenants on the enemy. Though the Aldmeris were slowly being pushed back to the coast, they knew that they couldn't allow the city to fall, because if they did, they would lose the entire island and give the Order and foothold that would be near impossible to destroy. The battle ended up as a stalemate, with neither side willing to give ground.

---------------

Joran walked calmly through the battlefield, as if there weren't dozens of people dying all around him. He could hear the screams of agony of the wounded, but he payed them no mind. There's no place for mercy on the battlefield. As one of the Aldmeri got too close to him, he swung his warhammer around, hitting the Mer in Elven armor square in the chest. He flew a few feet, then landed on the ground in a heap, with a giant dent in the middle of his armor. He didn't get back up. As he looked behind him, he could see his personal guards slaughtering the Mer and beasts that dared to try and get near him. The rest of the soldiers weren't doing quite as well. While the regular soldiers were faring better than those who had had their souls taken away, they were still no match for the stronger and better disciplined regiments of the Altmer, and many were terrified at the thought of fighting swarms of ogres and trolls. It was a bad situation that couldn't get much worse.

He swung his warhammer over his head and to the left, impaling another Aldmeri with the spiked end of his weapon. He ripped it free, splitting the soldier in gold armor in two. When three goblins broke through his guard with sheer numbers, he didn't even bother to exert the effort needed to swing his warhammer at them, but instead formed three ice shards in the air and impaled them in the head with them as they rushed towards him. The beast men were simply pathetic to him, no challenge at all. A few moments after executing the goblins, he heard cries from his men to look up. He glanced towards the sky and froze in mid-stride. It was an airship. A Dwemer airship emblazoned with the emblem of a burning sun. The emblem of the Aldmeri Dominion.

Fireballs shot down at his troops, and arrows were fired by the Bosmers on board the monstrosity. As several of his guards fell to the bombardment, he realized that he needed to fall back to Westguard and reformulate a plan of attack. Just as he was about to order the retreat, a booming noise echoed across the field, momentarily deafening the Lord. He looked around in confusion, not understanding what could have made such a noise, until one of his guards grabbed him and pointed to the coast. There, just barely in his field of vision, were three ships, with black smoke surrounding them. At first, he thought they were on fire, until the booming sound echoed across the field again and the ground right in front of him exploded into fire. His guards were incinerated, but thanks to his powerful shield spells, he was merely knocked to the ground. As he looked back towards the ships, he could see their flags waving in the wind. It was a gold sword and a jeweled crown, the last incarnation of the Hoon Ding. The Redguards had arrived with the roaring cannons of Sentinel.

---------------

Selena woke with a start as a red flash of light brightened her room. She looked up to see the aged form of Rasien standing above her, and behind him, Claudius.

"What do you two want?"

"You should learn some respect, child! If it weren't for us, you'd be dead right now!" Rasien snapped.

"Fine then. May I ask what it is you two want of me?"

"We're here to continue your training of course."

"Where's that Dunmer?"

Claudius spoke up at her question. "Oh, Vilyn won't be joining you today. He has an engagement with someone else already."

"All right. Just give me a few moments to get ready and come back."

A moment later the two disappeared in a flash of light."

---------------

"You know, Claudius, I don't think she'll appreciate what you've done to her mind."

"It's a necessary evil. You don't think she'd play along so easily on her own, do you?"

"Of course not, but it doesn't seem right..."

"You're the person that removes people's souls and you're saying a little forced subservience isn't right?"

"You know what I mean. You, better than anyone, knows what she is and how important she is. What if she were to discover what you've done after her powers awaken?"

"I'm not worried about it."

"Hmm. Perhaps you should be, Claudius. Perhaps you should be worried about a great many things."

"Like what, exactly?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

---------------

Malinus was walking down one of the many corridors in Gardenhall, when someone pulled him aside. It was Darnmon, and the Dunmer looked extremely agitated.

"What do you want, Darnmon?"

"You know where Berich's power comes from, don't you?"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know! His power isn't some gift from the Gods, he made it. He carries around this little blue gemstone. I've never noticed it before now, but every time he casts a spell, it glows. That's the source of his power, isn't it? Take it away, and he'll be no more than a common man."

"Very observant of you. Yes, that gemstone does provide him with power. It does so for myself and Rasien as well. When the Order was formed, we were given these stones by the Gods. Only us original three, who have been around since the very beginning."

"Then you know how to circumvent his powers, don't you?"

"There is no way to circumvent his power. So long as he wears the stone, it's power will reside with him."

"But it could be worn and used by someone else, right?"

"I suppose. I've never tried. Why?"

"I want you to steal it for me. There's going to be a meeting of the Council later today. You can sneak into his room and steal it from him while he's meeting with us. I know he doesn't wear it unless he leaves Gardenhall. Afterwards, you can give it to me, and then our victory will be assured."

"You want me to risk my life by stealing the most valuable thing Berich owns when you don't even know if you can use it? Sure, why not. Sounds like a challenge."

---------------

Vilyn was in the middle of his morning training, when a flash of red light interrupted him. He ceased his stretches and looked curiously at the blue-cloaked man. He couldn't tell who it was, but it obviously wasn't Claudius, as he was much shorter than this man. The man stepped forward and removed his hood. It was very hard to determine what race the man was, but if Vilyn had to guess, he would say the man was an Imperial. He had light brown hair that was slicked back, with a small portion hanging forward over his right eye. His eyes were equally brown, and had dark bags underneath. He had a semi-thick beard and gaunt cheeks. Overall, he looked to be a very serious and driven man, not one to joke with. Visible above the cloak was a black collar with gold trim, perhaps signifying the man was someone of importance. That thought was soon confirmed.

"I am Orson, Lieutenant of the Lord Claudius. He has asked me to bring you to your daughter, since you have been so dutiful and loyal to us thus far."

Vilyn stood there stunned. He had honestly never thought that they would allow him to see his daughter. In the back of his mind, there had always been that horrible thought that maybe she wasn't alive at all. After a few more moments of shocked silence, he broke out into a bright smile and began laughing.

"Thank you, thank you so much! Where is she? How is she?"

"Please don't thank me yet. She has experienced no physical harm, but I think you'll quickly realize that she is no longer the same person you knew."

Vilyn frowned, worry pervading his mind. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

The two then disappeared in another flash of light.

---------------

Vilyn followed Orson down the dimly lit corridors. Though the place seemed to be the same as every other place he'd been to in Gardenhall, there was sense of wrongness that was in the air. While most places were completely noiseless, there was a strange rustling sound echoing through the halls. Even though he couldn't see anything, he'd be willing to bet that whatever was behind all these rows of doors was causing it.

Orson suddenly stopped before a door, seemingly no different than any of the others, yet Vilyn knew his daughter was behind it, waiting for him. Orson grabbed the handle, and moved to open it, but stopped right at the last moment and turned to face Vilyn.

"Don't be shocked or disturbed by what you are about to see."

The sense of dread that Vilyn was feeling increased as Orson slowly opened the door and allowed the dim light inside the pitch black room. Standing right in the middle of it, completely still, was Lavene, the most important thing in Vilyn's world. She looked just as he remembered, her long, raven hair flowing down her back and her red gown billowing to the ground. But that was where the similarities ended. Her red eyes were dull and emotionless, as if she had lost her soul. Her soul... The bastards had taken her soul!

Vilyn spun around in a rage and grabbed for his sword, only to realize that he had forgotten it in his haste. Orson looked as expressionless as ever as he watched the Dunmer in his rage.

"You are angry. That's understandable. However, you must understand that every person captured goes through this process, without exception. You were personally picked by my Lord Claudius to be spared from this. However, at that time we had no idea who your daughter was. Once we had secured the necessary information, we did find her, but she had already undergone the procedure. She is nothing more than a husk now. But if you continue to be loyal, we can restore her soul to her body. It is something done very rarely, so you would be wise to maintain your agreement of servitude."

"How can you expect me to help you after doing this to my daughter!"

"Because if you don't she's as good as dead. Right now, her soul is secured with us, but we can extinguish that soul at any time. Trust me, so long as your loyalty remains, she will be safe."

"Damn you. Damn you and your masters!"

"You may keep your hate, Dunmer. It doesn't matter if you hate us, only that you serve us."

The man then snapped his fingers and Vilyn found himself back in his room. Torn between rage, sorrow, and uncertainty, he sat down on his bed and began to contemplate what he would do.

---------------

Rasien viewed the girl before him. She was again sitting in his library, though this time Claudius was here, leaning on one of the bookcases.

"Now then. Have you thought on what I said to you before?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And I still maintain my beliefs that no god could allow these things to happen. Look at Akatosh. He came to our rescue when we were in trouble before. It'll be no different now."

Rasien sighed. "You do not understand. The Divines are not truly gods. Neither are the Daedra. They are not all-powerful and they are not infallible. They are creatures just like you and me. Infinitely more powerful creatures, but creatures all the same. The only reason we call them gods and divine is because we have no other name for them. The common people take comfort in the fact that the Aedra might be watching out for them and helping them in their lives. In truth, the Aedra don't care at all about us. The only reason Akatosh interfered is because he was summoned by Martin Septim. But there are no more Septims. There is no more Dragonfire or Amulet of Kings. The Aedra cannot help you now."

"They are our gods, and I can't wait for the moment they appear so they can wipe you from the face of Nirn."

"This girl is impossible. I refuse to deal with such stubborn ignorance. Take her away Claudius. You're on your own."

Claudius just smirked and snapped his fingers, teleporting both himself and Selena back to her room.

"Selena, would you like to know what your power does?"

"What about what Rasien said, that knowing doesn't equal understanding?"

"Rasien is old-fashioned. He doesn't understand your importance, or how quickly we need this done. So would you like to know?"

"Yes, I'd like to know very much."

"Very well then. Your power is something passive. You'll never be able to control it or activate it, it's something that constantly with you, surrounding you and enveloping everything around you. Right now, you don't know how to recognize it, but if you can learn to see it, you may be able to manipulate it to your advantage."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're not the only person with this power. There are and have been others, though none that have had it permanently. Only in short bursts of activity. These people have manipulate everything around them and become the legends of our time as well as times past. The Champion, the Nerevarine, the Emperor's agent who was present for the Warp in the West. These are but a few of the people with this power. But one of them, at least, is familiar to you, no?"

"Of course. How could I not know the Champion, considering..."

"Your father. What did your father say to you when you were a child. There was something he would say whenever you were sad. What was it?"

"He would say that I'm special, that I'm destined for greatness. That no destiny can control me. That I can make my own path in this world and be whatever I want, no matter what."

"Those words were wise and very true. But then, your father was a wise man, wasn't he..."

"How did you know?"

"What?"

"How did you know what he would say to me?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that Lucius was right. You are the daughter of the Champion, and your destiny is yours to make and shape. You are here to insure that our plans come to fruition, because you are the only one with the power to implement the end."

"And what is the end?"

"That's something you don't need to know just yet."

Before she could say anything in response, a flash of light momentarily brightened the room. A man with light brown hair and brown eyes stood near the door. He moved to Claudius and whispered something in his ear. Claudius only smiled in response.

"My Lord Claudius, do you have new orders for me?"

"I have no more orders to give you, Orson. Instead, I have a request. Come to the next Council meeting and stay for the duration. There's something important you need to hear."

"Yes, my Lord."

Orson the disappeared in another flash of light, and Claudius turned back to face Selena. "I'm afraid I must take my leave of you, for now. I'll see you soon."

Then he too, disappeared in a flash of light.

---------------

The Council room was half empty when Claudius arrived. Orson was standing in the shadows, watching, while only Darnmon, Alexia, and Rasien were in attendance. Claudius took his seat and waited. He didn't have to wait long. A few moments later, Berich teleported into the room. He viewed all the empty seats with distaste. After taking his seat, he began to speak.

"Why is half the Council missing from this meeting?"

Darnmon answered. "Eridor cannot leave his post, as Legion activity has been spotted around Skingrad. Malinus and Aleron found a lead and are currently pursuing the Gray Fox. I'm not sure what happened to Joran, but I'm sure he's busy in the Summerset Isles. I hear the campaign hasn't been going well."

"Very well then. The first thing I must address is who will take Caius's seat. I've thought long and hard about it, and I've come to a decision. Lieutenant Orson, under four, will take his position."

Orson quickly moved forward and took what had been Caius's seat, his expression no different than it had been before. Almost as though he had expected it. Claudius simply smirked.

"It is an honor, Master. I will gladly take his seat on this council."

"I know you will, ten. How do your missions go? Rasien?"

"The experiments continue, but they're going much more slowly now. Many of the creatures have been riled by something. Some have gone so wild that I've had to kill them. I think it may be better if we simply abandon our research into them altogether. It's simply too much trouble."

"The research will continue until I say otherwise. It's absolutely vital that you gain as much information as possible on them."

"Very well then Master."

"Claudius?"

"The girl is slow to learn and slower to understand, however I think she'll be ready in time."

"Very good then. Alexia?"

"I unfortunately have nothing to report right now, but three and eight seem to have everything under control."

"How tiresome. Things are progressing far too slowly for my tastes, but there's nothing to be done about it. Claudius, continue with the training. Darnmon, maintain the homeguard. Rasien, I want those experiments done. Do whatever you have to to insure they progress at a faster pace. Alexia, your part with the Thieves Guild is over. I want you to stay on homeguard as well. I'll have special instructions for you later. Orson, I've heard that the Champion has returned to Cyrodiil. If he were to rejoin the Legion forces, the result could be disastrous. Take twenty-four companies and crush the Legion force. I want total destruction. Don't leave anyone alive and DON'T let the Champion get away. This is our chance to wipe all resistance from the heartland. They were kind enough to group everyone together in one position for us to destroy. It simply wouldn't be right to ignore their generosity. Dismissed."

---------------

Orson and Claudius walked down the dark corridors together, completely silent. They continued in this way for several minutes until a flash of light erupted in front of them. They both paused to see the form of Berich in front of them, and he was livid.

"Claudius! Someone took the gemstone from my room. They took MY gemstone. I have new orders for you and Alexia both. I want you to find the person who stole my gem and kill them, then return it to me. No mercy for the traitor. Make sure his death is as painful as possible!"

He teleported away, leaving the two figures to the silence. Unseen in the dark, Claudius's grin grew even wider.

---------------

"Very good, Malinus. The gem is even more beautiful than I had imagined."

Darnmon held the gemstone up to the light, examining it. It was small, about the size of a gold coin, and was a bright blue around the edges, but dark blue in the middle. It exuded power, more power than Darnmon had ever experienced before. He wore a look of amazement as he looked at it, while Malinus simply smirked.

"I told you I'd get it for you. What exactly do you plan on doing with it?"

"I plan on killing Berich with it of course. Now that I have his power, nothing will be able to stop me. Nothing!"

---------------

Roland shuffled through the camp, watching his fellow soldiers go about his work. He hated the military. Even though he had wanted to fight, he knew he was nothing more than fodder to the Legion. Why else would they only arm him with a few scraps of iron armor and a simple spear? He'd be on the frontlines, the first to charge and the first to die. It was all very depressing for the young man, and he couldn't help but thing he would have been better off following Dro'Shanji when he had had the chance.

All of a sudden, there was a great uproar amongst the soldiers, and people began rushing from their tents to see what was going on. Curious, Roland moved over to the growing crowd to see what was happening. In the middle of a massive crowd of soldiers and workers, a man in golden armor was walking. He moved slowly and with a purpose, ignoring the cheering people around him. It was almost as if he couldn't hear them and was off in his own world. The crowd didn't seem to notice this though, or maybe the they didn't care. Regardless, they began chanting and yelling various things. "Lucius!" "The Champion is here!" "The Champion will save us!" "Welcome back Lucius!"

Eventually he arrived at the commander's tent and went inside. The crowd gathered around the tent and continued cheering, though Roland didn't join them. He knew something bad was going to happen. He didn't know how, but for some reason he had a terrible feeling about this.

---------------

"Orson, do you know what to do?"

"Of course, my Lord Claudius."

"Good. Everything is going well. Soon my plan will be complete. The traitors think I'm oblivious of them, but they fail to realize that I know everything going on in this land. Soon, they will all be dead, and my greater plan will be set into motion. You are the only person who knows the full extent of my plan."

"I'm very grateful that you trust me so, Lord Claudius."

"Hmm. Yes, well I wish you success on your mission. Just remember not to allow your loyalty to Berich to override your loyalty to me."

"Of course not, Lord Claudius."

"Tell me something, Orson. Do you think my plan will be a success?"

"I would say that I could not hope to match your genius, and that only you could truly judge whether or not your plan will succeed. However, since you ask, I don't think it will work as things are now."

"And why is that?"

"Because of the girl. She isn't ready, and I don't think she'll comply with your requests."

"Perhaps... Only she'll be able to make that decision. I won't be able to force her. In the end, she will decide what side is victorious, though I doubt she realizes just how many sides there are..."

**A/N: **_Another chapter done. I want to say we're nearing the half-way point here. This chapter sort of bugged me, because I kept having problems with the dialogue in several sections. Oh well though. Kudos if anyone gets the reference with Orson._


	13. Chapter 11: The Art of Betrayal

**Disclai****mer****:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Eleven:_ _The Art of Betrayal_

"Do you understand the plan?"

"Of course, Claudius. Don't patronize me; I'm not your little bodyguard general that will do whatever you ask."

"I'm sorry; I was just making sure you understood."

"Whatever. When will we be killing them then?"

"Any time now. I just need to get Berich's approval for the execution, and then we'll eliminate the traitors."

"But you're not killing them just because Berich ordered you to, are you? You have a plan at work. What exactly is your goal?"

"You'll find out in due time, my dear. You must have patience. But let me just say that it will be a grand ending to many years of work."

---------------

Yet again, Selena woke up to a flash of red light, but instead of Rasien or Claudius, it was the same hooded figure she had first met in Gardenhall. It was Berich. He walked over to her bed and simply watched her for nearly a minute. It seemed as if he was appraising her in the same way he had the first time. It was still very uncomfortable for her, perhaps more so. Eventually, he began to speak in the same unnatural voice.

"You must come with me now. Get ready, because I won't wait very long. I hear you've been wanting a clear explanation. I plan to give it to you."

He then turned and left. Selena scrambled to get ready. More than anything, she wanted to understand just what was going on. Rasien wouldn't tell her, and Claudius would never give her the full story, only bits and pieces. But if Berich was telling the truth, this was finally her chance to figure it all out.

---------------

Selena walked with Berich through a well lit hallway. Unlike all the other halls, this one was very well lit, and flowers of many colors lined the sides of the walls. Like many other things involving the Order, it seemed very unnatural. After a while of walking, Berich suddenly stopped and kneeled down on one knee. He examined the flowers in front of him and picked a flower, then presented it to Selena. It was a bright blue rose.

"Tell me, my child, do you know what the blue rose symbolizes?"

"No. Should I? What do flowers have to do with my powers?"

"The blue rose symbolizes mystery, hope against all odds, and trying to attain the impossible and unattainable. These things are the driving force of the Order which has been named in the honor of this rare flower. So very few exist in the world. Once, they were everywhere, when the world was a better place. But the fires of hate and war burned them to ashes, and so we safeguard what's left. But not just these roses. We safeguard the Old World, everything left from ages long gone by. Some might say it's ironic, for we're the ones that caused the end of that age, so very, very long ago. I have watched over the Order and Gardenhall for so long that I no longer remember just how old I am. I saw the age of the Dwemers, the Ayelids, he Chimer, and so many others go by. I watched civilization crumble and then reform countless times. But you think I was simply a passive observer, correct? Not so. It was the Order that ultimately caused the downfall of these peoples. Whether through force, coercion, rebellion, corruption, or simple disasters, we destroyed them all, in the name of the Gods. Not just the Divines, but all of them, Daedra and Aedra alike."

"But why? Why would you do all of that? Slaughtering billions of people in the name of the Gods... They would never want that!"

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Let me explain. In the beginning, when the idea of the world was made by Lorkhan, when life was first created by what you believe to be gods, when the split between the et'Ada first occurred, we were made. Myself, Rasien, and Malinus. The et'Ada that became the Daedra represent change, while the et'Ada that became the Aedra represent stability. They are polar opposites, and because of this, they cause balance. But sometimes, this balance would be disrupted, and one side would gain more power than the other. You see, the Aedra, unlike Daedra, can be killed, and they feared that if the Daedra became too powerful, that they would wipe them from existence. This was after the races had been created, mind you. The Daedra, because they represent change, had influence over mortals. They thought that they could make the mortals change and become powerful enough to kill the Aedra for them. To counter this, we were created by the Aedra to destroy any civilization that became too powerful, thus temporarily stopping the Daedra's plans. But we could also never destroy all life, because the Daedra envy mortals, and wish them to survive so that they may one day gain more power through them, while the Aedra hoped that one day all the Daedra would be banished, and they could take mortals under their wing. So we were forced to destroy all peoples that became too powerful, but we also had to insure that another civilization would take its place. A never ending cycle to maintain balance."

"I still don't understand what this has to do with me."

"Patience child, I'm not finished. When we were created, we three were given powers far exceeding all other beings. We were made demi-gods, essentially, and nearly immortal. Our power was limitless compared to the mortals we were tasked with destroying. In order to control these powers, we were each given a blue gemstone that would hold some of our power so that we weren't overwhelmed and our mortal bodies weren't destroyed by the force. Later, it was determined that two more should be added to our group, but they were not granted this same amount of power. Nevertheless, the siblings Claudius and Alexia were created and granted massive amounts of power, and tasked with aiding us. We were told to do whatever was necessary to accomplish our goal. To that end, we decided that secrecy would be the easiest way to go about our task, and the Order was formed in these catacombs, forged by the Gods. We created the Council of Roses to rule this Order, and that was us original five founders. We expanded slowly, and eventually formed the council we have now, where we five and the generals of our armies meet and are given their orders. Those not of the Council of Roses make no decisions, but it is important that they somehow be included in the process, you understand. As our expansion continued, we took people from the street who we judged to be suitable for our goals. These people became the common members. All of these people are just people, with no unusual levels of powers. But now I'm beginning to get off the point. You see, over the centuries, we have noticed that our powers have been declining. We original three have been hit especially hard by this, Rasien most of all. We once thought that we were completely immortal, but we now know that this is not so. We are dying. Soon, perhaps in this very decade, we original three will be no more. I suppose the amount of power we possess is causing us to slowly degrade, as Alexia and Claudius haven't been losing their powers nearly as quickly as us. This lack of power has become especially obvious in recent years. Four times, we have tried to destroy the Empire, and each time we failed. It was only out of desperation that we decided to use force, but even that seems to be failing now. The first time, we controlled Jagar Tharn and had him take the place of the Emperor. We would have corruption slowly cause chaos and destroy the Empire from within, leading to massive rebellions that would stop advancements and bring about balance. But the Eternal Champion, aided by Ria Silmane, killed Tharn, and our first attempt was thwarted. Our second attempt was to control the rulers of the Iliac Bay, attempting to have them gain independence through rebellion. But we could not hold them together, and civil war erupted. Eventually, they were all crushed by the Empire during the Warp in the West. Then, we aided Dagoth-Ur in his attempts to spread the blight, sabotaging the Tribunal from the shadows and distracting them as Ur regained his physical form. Then the damned Nerevarine interfered and killed Ur, and our third attempt failed. Finally, we assisted the Mythic Dawn in their assassination of the Emperor and his heirs by informing them of their locations and escape routes, but Mankar Camoran failed and was killed by the Champion. Then Martin Septim banished Mehrunes Dagon, who is now in a terrible and torturous sleep in Oblivion. It will be decades before he finally regains consciousness."

"I still don't understand."

Berich sighed for a moment before continuing. "The point of all this is that we will all soon die and that someone is needed to continue our work. I am obviously incapable of destroying the Empire in its present state, but you are not. You shall be my replacement."

"What! You can't possible be serious! Why would I ever want to destroy the Empire or kill so many people?"

"Because if you don't the world will lose balance. And when that happens, everything will be destroyed, permanently. Magnus is watching from the Aetherius. Should balance be lost, he will destroy this world to prevent mortals from gaining the same power as the et'Ada. That would mean the end of Mundus, the Aedra, and Daedra. That cannot be allowed to happen. You have the same power as I do. You don't realize it yet, because you can't harness it, but the Gods have given you the power to be my successor. They have granted these powers to four others as well. Even now, I can sense them out there, and they will eventually converge on you. But this power is not what you think it is. The Aedra and Daedra, they manipulate every life, from beginning to end. They weave the webs that are men's lives. So you see, everything that happens in this world is determined by the et'Ada, and they constantly work against each other. But some people are not controlled, and are made to stand alone. These people can manipulate events around them, control others, and gain powers far greater than the common being. You are one of these people, though you were born to these powers instead of being created to use them as I was. Your father also had this power, but not constantly as you do. He had it only in brief periods of time, though those times were enough for him to destroy the Mythic Dawn and thwart our plans. The Nerevarine, the Eternal Champion, and the agent of the Emperor also had this power. More people in this age posses the power than every other we've gone through combined. It's a sign that it's time for us to step down and reach our eternal rest. So soon, very soon, you shall be the Master of the Order. Don't complain or disagree, for you have no choice in the matter, child. Denying this means the permanent destruction of the world and all beings in it. Could you live knowing you caused all of that? I think not. No one could."

"This is insane! I... I... I don't know what to do..." Selena looked as though she was about to break down in tears. Berich then did something surprising, and lowered his hood. He revealed his face, and it was just as unnatural as his voice. He had flawless skin, red eyes, and blonde hair. His skin seemed to have a healthy tan, and his eyes were piercing, capable of stopping someone in their tracks with a mere glance. He appeared very young, perhaps in his early twenties. He was very handsome, but very frightening at the same time. No one could look like he did, it was impossible. His face radiated a terrifying glow of power and a promise of retribution to anyone who would cross him. His piercing eyes seemed tired, and looked as if they held all the knowledge in the world. He altogether looked very contradictory, young and old, calm and wrathful, good and evil, comforting but scary, and perfect yet flawed, all at the same time. Selena stood there looking at him, and couldn't decide what to do. She was deathly afraid of the man, but at the same time he gave off a calming feeling, much like her father had.

"I know you are afraid, but this shall be your responsibility. One thing you must remember though is that while you must take life away, you also have the power to give life."

Selena watched in curiosity as he removed a small seed from beneath his cloak and planted it in dirt near the stone walls. He put both hands over it, and they began to glow red. After a few moments, what had once been a newly buried seed turned into a bright, orange flower. He turned to face her once more, but instead of the flawless face she had first seen, she saw, only for a moment, a skull covered in blood with eyes the color of rubies. Though the face she had seen before soon replaced it, that moment was all it took for her to faint.

---------------

Claudius teleported into Berich's rooms, only to find him not there. Irritated, he sat in a nearby chair and waited impatiently for his return. After nearly a half-hour, he returned, and Claudius noticed that he had his hood down. That was something highly unusual for Berich, as he normally allowed very few people to see his face. Upon noticing Claudius, Berich raised his hood again and asked him why he was here.

"I've found who stole your gemstone. It was Darnmon and a few of the other council members. They wished to kill you and take control of the Order. I haven't yet moved against them, as I though I should ask your permission to perform the execution."

Claudius watched as Berich shook with rage, then moved to his desk and began shifting through some of his belongings. It was a few moments, before he replied. "I'll go and deal with the traitors myself. I'll show them what it means to betray me!"

Claudius paled and immediately moved to convince him otherwise. "Please don't bother yourself with them, Master. Allow me to kill them for you. You personally executing them would be a waste of your precious time, and I know you have more important things to deal with. Allow me to deal with this, please."

Berich looked up and examined Claudius before waving his hand at him. "Very well then. But allow me to ask you one thing. Just what are you planning, old friend? Why are you so adamant about killing them? Normally, you'd want to do as little as possible in a situation like this. What are you after?"

"Nothing Master. I simply have a score to settle with Darnmon. He has been a pain to me for a long time, and I've been waiting for a chance to kill him."

"Hmmm. Of course you have. Go, deal with the traitors immediately, and kill them all."

"Yes, Master."

---------------

Darnmon sat in a chair near a bookcase, examining the gemstone. He had had it made into an amulet, and it was now surrounded by a gold square. The stone glistened in the light, and Darnmon bathed in its power. He wore a predatory grin as continued to look at it. Malinus sat nearby and still had his hood up. In one hand, he held a glass of red wine, while the other was resting on his chair. Alexia was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, looking very bored. Standing in front of Darnmon was one of his lieutenants, a giant of a Nord with long, blonde hair and green eyes. He had a scar running across his left eye and horizontally across his nose. He was fidgeting nervously, and was obviously not comfortable in the presence of two founders. As he stood there, Darnmon began talking.

"You will take a detachment of troops and find the girl. She's somewhere near Berich's quarters, though I'm not exactly sure where. Apparently only Berich himself, Claudius, and Rasien know exactly where she is. Search every room for her, and when you find her, kill her. Your fellow Lieutenant has been tasked with eliminating that Dunmer Vilyn. He should be done first, as we actually know where he is. Caius will lead the main force into the Halls of the Forgotten and hunt down Rasien. He has apparently shut down teleportation into that area, so they have to walk to his lab. Still, he shouldn't be too dangerous. He's gotten old and senile and lost most of his powers, and his servants are mostly scientists. Eridor will kill Orson, take control of his troops and crush the Legion. Alexia will locate Claudius and eliminate him, while Malinus will aid me with killing Berich. Afterwards, we can determine where Aleron's and Joran's loyalties lie. Go now. Caius is already on his way, so prepare the troops and move out."

The Lieutenant bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him. A few moments later, Darnmon was knocked out of his chair as a massive jet of blue fire shot through the door and into the wall right behind him, melting it straight to the rock. There was no sign of Darnmon's Lieutenant, but a familiar form stepped into the room, holding a ball of blue fire in each hand.

"Claudius! Alexia, Malinus, kill him!"

Malinus simply sat calmly in his chair, sipping his wine, while Alexia maintained her position against the wall, but now her expression of boredom had turned into a wide grin. Claudius smirked and explained their actions. "Did you honestly think that one of the original three founders would try to destroy the thing he created, or that my own sister would try to kill me? How stupid can you possibly be you traitorous lapdog. You should have known better than to try to bite the hand that feeds you, but I guess you got greedy didn't you? You weren't satisfied with your lot and you wanted more power than you can handle. Now I'm here to deliver your punishment, in the name of the Master and the Gods you once served."

"Ha! You think you can kill me? I hold all of Berich's power! I could crush you all like the bugs you are!" Darnmon exclaimed, holding up the pendant for Claudius to see.

To his bewilderment, Claudius began laughing hysterically. "You think that's all of Berich's power? That measly amount? No, that is but a small portion, and you should be aware that I possess more than three times that amount. You've severely misjudged your chances lapdog."

Darnmon growled and gathered fire into his hands, launching a massive wave of red fire towards Claudius. He merely dissipated his spell, in his left hand, raised it with his palm facing the oncoming fire, and stood there. When the fire reached him, it was seemingly absorbed into his hand. Claudius began laughing again.

"Did you really think you could kill me with my own element? How pathetic."

Darnmon's eyes bulged at the sight, and it seemed he was in total shock. Growling, he reached up and pulled a sword off of his back. It was a unique looking sword, with a curved handle and blade. It had no guard, and the blade itself seemed to be pure black. As soon as he had pulled it from its scabbard, darkness descended on the minds of everyone in the room, and whispers could be heard. Claudius frowned for a moment, then released a maelstrom of blue fire at the Dunmer, enveloping him and his entire part of the room in searing heat. When the fire dissipated, not even his ashes were left. The only thing that showed he might have been there at all was a shining, blue gemstone. As Claudius moved to pick it up, Malinus rose from his chair and began clapping.

"Bravo, bravo. The end was rather anticlimactic, but the build-up was wonderful. Tell me though, why have me steal Berich's amulet?"

"I needed something that would stir him enough to allow me to remove Darnmon and the rest from the picture. Now they're no longer a threat." Claudius said as he looked curiously at the gemstone in his hand.

Malinus began to move towards him as he continued to talk. "You're planning something, Claudius. You planned this whole thing didn't you? Just to get rid of some of the council members. What are you going to do?"

"That's something you don't need to know, old friend. But as for the ending being anticlimactic, well that's just because things have just begun. We're not even close to the end yet, and what an end it will be. Unfortunately, you won't be there to witness it." Claudius then snapped his fingers, and a dagger flew through the air, hitting Malinus in the back and discharging a massive amount of electricity. He stumbled forwards and fell straight into the Daedric claymore Claudius had summoned. The metal sliced through his torso, cutting him clean in half. Alexia walked over beside Claudius and looked down at Malinus's body in disgust.

"Good riddance. Now we only have a few more to go. Which one do I get the pleasure of killing next, brother?"

"Hmm. Go after Aleron. If you time it right, you can kill him and the Gray Fox at the same time."

"Aleron? Why waste time on that worm?"

"We don't have to worry about Caius. The Halls of the Forgotten will take care of him for us. Eridor will soon be killed as well, if not by the Champion, then by Orson. Joran is too far away to do anything, and his army is in shambles. I'm going to go pay a visit to Rasien very soon, so that only leaves Aleron. I can't keep tabs on him, and he might develop into a danger, so I need you to go kill him."

Before Alexia and Claudius could leave, a moan stopped them. They looked over towards it source and discovered that Malinus, even though he had been spilt in two, was still alive. Claudius walked up to him and raised his sword over his head, preparing to bring it down for a fatal blow, but just as the blade descended, his arm flew up and backhanded the man away with enough force to send him into a wall. As Claudius got back up, he could see Malinus's body twisting and contorting on the ground. It was a gruesome sight, but Claudius couldn't see what was about to happen, as his body was still covered by the cloak. As he got his sword back and walked over to him, two new legs sprouted from his torso, and Malinus jumped back up, tearing off his cloak and revealing his true form. He looked like a werewolf, but he wasn't. He was much bigger, much stronger, and much more terrifying. Claudius stood frozen to the spot as the creature began to speak in a rough sounding voice that was vaguely similar to Malinus's.

"Hah! Did you really think a little scratch like that would kill me? I'm one of the originals! We have some tricks up our sleeves that even you don't know about, Claudius."

"Perhaps. But all this will do is slow us down. If this is what you really are, then killing you in this form should prove permanent."

Claudius raised his hand and shot another jet of blue fire at the were-creature, but he simply raised his hand as well and a sphere of water formed in the air around him, protecting him from the fire and causing a massive amount of steam to fill the room.

"I didn't think that would work. Oh well. Alexia, we kill him together."

"Very well then. At least he might prove to be a bit of a challenge."

Claudius used all of his strength to throw his claymore towards Malinus, while Alexia threw three electrically charged daggers. Behind this, Claudius and Alexia both shot spells of their respective elements, fire and lightning, at him. Claudius used another jet of blue fire, while Alexia shot two blots of electricity, one behind the other. Malinus hit the claymore with his left arm, shattering it, though the three daggers found their mark and embedded themselves in his right shoulder. He activated the shield of water again, stopping the fire, but he was hit by the bolts of lightning, forcing him back a few steps, but causing no damage besides some singed fur. Claudius held one hand out to his side, and a sword made of fire formed in his hand. He rushed towards him at speeds nearly beyond the human eye, and Alexia did the same with a Daedric dagger in each hand. Claudius went low, ducking under a swipe by Malinus and slashing at his left leg. The fire bit into his flesh, and he growled at him before being distracted by Alexia, who plunged both her daggers into his neck by jumping on top of his outstretched arm. He backhanded Claudius again, though this time he landed on his feet. He then slashed at Alexia, but she backflipped out of the way and threw her daggers at him at the same time, then collected two more lightning bolts and shot them at his now charging form. Both the daggers and the lightning hit him in the chest, but he kept charging and eventually bulldozed Alexia, slamming her into a wall.

Claudius ran at him from behind, stabbing him straight through the stomach with his fire sword, and Malinus roared in pain before turning and grabbing Claudius by the arm with his right hand. He swung him about for a few moments before slamming him into the wall right next to Alexia. Claudius looked over at his sister and whispered something to her as she struggled to stand. She nodded, and then disappeared from sight. Malinus looked around in confusion, then roared in pain again as cuts began forming all across his body. A light blur could be seen around him as more and more of the cuts formed. Malinus swung his arms around wildly, hoping to catch the ridiculously fast assassin, but he never did. While the cuts couldn't kill him, they did provide a distraction as Claudius got back up. One of his hands began to glow red, and as Malinus made another swing, Claudius rushed forwards and grabbed Malinus's head with his glowing hand. Malinus screamed in agony as the red glow slowly engulfed his entire body, and then he went limp and fell. The only sign of movement was his eyes, which continued to watch the two. Alexia finally stopped moving, but she was exhausted and had to sit down on the scorched floor. Claudius looked down at the now helpless form of Malinus. He had used his specialty. Each of the founders had been gifted with a special power. Claudius's was the control over other people's bodies and minds.

He re-summoned his Daedric claymore, raised it up, and plunged it down into Malinus's head. "The old man was stronger than I gave him credit for. Unfortunately we can't rest just yet. Take a few potions and then head after Aleron. We're going to put things into motion right now."

Alexia teleported out of the room, leaving Claudius alone with Malinus's corpse. He reached down and plucked the gemstone from his body and compared the two together. Before he teleported away as well, another smirk formed on his face.

---------------

The Legion army was on the move. The massive host had begun traveling towards Skingrad the day before, and Roland was apprehensive. He had seen what these people had done to Bravil and had heard about how the Imperial City had been destroyed. If they could destroy entire cities, what would stop them from decimating an army with a wave of a hand? Troubled by these thoughts, Roland didn't even notice that they had come within sight of Skingrad, despite being in the front row. It was only when people began shouting in panic that he looked up and saw a horrifying sight. In front of him was a massive army of soldiers, stretching as far as the eye could see, all garbed in blue cloaks. It was enough to make many people lose their nerve, and the only thing stopping them from was running were the soldiers behind them. From the midst of the enemy host, two riders came forth. On the Legion side, two riders went out to meet them.

---------------

Eridor looked across to the figure of Orson, was riding his white horse in front of him. This would be the perfect time to kill him. He was unaware and out here, no one would be able to save him. But it would be better to wait until the battle started, so that everyone could assume he had simply fallen in combat. Eridor would then take command, and he could show Orson as a martyr so that the men would be even more empowered to win.

Orson continued to ride across the grassy field, which was dotted here and there with trees and bushes. The two armies had lined up; the Order just beyond the wreckage of the farms in Skingrad, and the Legion near the forests beyond the main road. Riding towards them was the Nord leader of the Legion, Vigunn the Faithful, riding on his bay war-horse. Beside him, on a black horse in Elven armor, was the Champion in his Imperial Dragon Armor. They met in the middle, directly between the two armies.

Lucius stopped first, and stared at his opponent. While Eridor still had his cloak, Orson had turned his into a cape, which revealed a silver breastplate with gold trim, over dull blue cloth padding, again with gold trim. He wore a set of leather boots, but no gauntlets. He had his sword attached to his hip. It was a bright silver sword with an elaborately carved pommel.

"Hello there Champion. I see you survived your excursion into the wilderness of Skyrim. That must have been a very... Difficult trip. But considering who you are, I suppose it's no surprise that you're still alive. That said, I'm not sure how much longer that will last. I guarantee you that if you take the field today, that I will kill you personally. I suggest you withdraw, for your sake... But also for the sake of your daughter."

Lucius looked up sharply and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "What do you mean? My daughter was in the Imperial City when you blew it up. I will have my revenge for that, and when I meet your master Claudius again, I will cleave him in two!"

Eridor furrowed his brows at this and drew his steel sword, looking over at his partner curiously. "Claudius isn't our master, the Lord Berich is. What would make you think that Claudius is? And when did you meet him?"

"My Lord Claudius has a message for you, Lucius. 'I hold your daughter in my hand. I expect you to stay true to our agreement. Fail, and there will be consequences.' That was my first purpose in coming out here. The second was to kill the traitor with none of his guards around."

In a flash, he drew his sword and whipped it around behind him, beheading Eridor. His corpse fell off of his horse and crashed to the ground, leaving a small crater due to the massive armor the mer had been wearing under his cloak. Too bad he hadn't worn a helmet.

Lucius and Legion Commander both drew their swords in shock, and there was an outcry from both lines on the battlefield. "Now my tasks have been completed. I bid you good day, Champion."

Orson turned his horse around and rode back to his line. Immediately, Eridor's two lieutenants rode forward with their swords drawn, hoping to intercept the man who had killed their commander. Orson pointed his hand towards the ground in front of the two riders, and it suddenly burst into flames ten feet high all around the lieutenants. Orson simply rode straight past them without a second thought and arrived back at his own lines. After using a spell to amplify his voice, he began to speak to his entire army, or a least the part that was intelligent enough to understand.

"I apologize to all of you, but that was a necessary act. Eridor turned traitor, and was plotting the downfall of your Master. He planned to sabotage our efforts in this battle, and to cause all of you to die. Afterwards, he would have lead the Legion to your home, where they would have slaughtered everyone without exception. I just did you all a great service. But two traitors remain. His two lieutenants, who I have trapped behind those flames, were plotting with him. Archers! Kill them both!"

The archers of the Order moved forward in front of the main line, took aim at the two panicking horsemen, and fired. A rain of arrows dropped down on the small area, riddling every space. The two men were quite dead. The archers then moved back behind the main lines.

"Very good. Now then, I trust all of you to do your duty in this battle. All our opponents in this land are gathered here. Slaughter them without mercy, for they will show you none. Find victory today, and we will never have to fight another bloody battle. This shall be the end here in Cyrodiil. Prepare yourselves everyone, we go to battle!"

---------------

Roland watched as the Champion rode back to their side, but instead of stopping in front of the troops to make a speech like the commander on the opposing side had, he went straight past and out of sight. The Legion Commander did stop however, but he made no speech, simply motioning with his sword for the army to move forward. Roland slowly began walking, holding his spear as of were the most important thing in the world to him. Yep, he had a very bad feeling about this.

**A/N: **_Hey there everyone. A couple notes for this chapter. First, I absolutely love The Imperial-Library. The majority of information during __Berich's__ speech to Selena about the __Aedra__ and __Daedra__ and all that was quite true. Check there, and look under Religion and Mythology if you want to learn more. My second note is about Orson. He's a villain from the game Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. I hope I described his appearance well enough, but if you want to see a picture of him, search Fire Emblem Orson on __Google__ Images. It's not a very good picture, but it's the only one there is of him. All the pictures in Fire Emblem are drawn, you know? Anyway, I explained a bit in this chapter, but there's still a few more to go before the end. I think after I finish, I may write something more traditional, like a __MQ__ story following Lucius. It would give him a lot more __backstory__ and would feature cameos by Selena and the Order of course._


	14. Side Story 2: Darnmon

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Two: Darnmon_

The young Darnmon walked through the streets of Ebonheart, clothed in rags and smelling of filth. He moved around, occasionally trying to stop a nice looking person and asking them for some food or money. It rarely worked, but he had no other choice but to try. Such was the life of a beggar in a cruel and unforgiving world. He had never known his family, nor did he care to know them since they had obviously abandoned him. He had no friends, for beggars in the city are very competitive, often fighting over whatever items of value they could find. Things were particularly bad in the poor district of the city, where he was forced to live by the Imperial guards of Ebonheart.

As he walked in the filthy, junk strew streets, Darnmon noticed something strange. A man was walking down the street, garbed in a black cloak with his face hidden. Normally, this wouldn't be all that strange in the poor district, but what he was carrying definitely was. It was a long, rectangular case, and it was made of pure gold. It attracted the attention of everyone he passed, and many looked greedily at him, some more so than others. Two men with knives blocked his path, and when the strange man tried backing up, another came up behind him with an old shortsword. The men ordered him to give up the case, but he just began muttering. Darnmon could barely hear him, but he did catch several phrases. "Must deliver it. Must deliver it. Too important."

The men looked at each other confusedly; they obviously thought he was insane. The one behind him moved forward and cut the man down. The gold box fell to the ground and burst open. It contained only dirty rags. The three men walked up to the rags and stared down at it, not comprehending why they would have been in a pure gold box. Before any of them could bend down to sift through the rags, a shout startled them. One of the rare guards that patrolled the poor district was charging towards them with his sword drawn. The three men ran off, but not before one of them grabbed the gold case. The guard ran after them, and the young Darnmon watched as they ran past him.

Seeing that everyone else had gone inside to avoid the scuffle, he crept over to the rags and began to dig through them. After a few moments, he reached something metal. He pulled it out of the rags, and found himself looking at a sword. It was a unique looking sword, with a curved handle and blade. It had no guard, and the blade itself seemed to be pure black. The hilt was blood red, and as he held it, Darnmon could hear whispers in his mind.

_I can feel your desires. You're so weak and pathetic, yet you have such a strong will, such a strong desire for power. And deep down a desire for... Revenge? Such hatred you have. So much hatred, so much sorrow. Would you like to have that power you seek so desperately? Do you want that revenge on those that left you here? I can give them to you._

"Who... No, what are you?"

_I am simply the voice of your subconscious. I see all that you fail to recognize, and I will guide you on the path to power if you simply listen to me. Will you? Will you take my advice? You must carry this sword, but it's not much of a burden. It will give you such power. Not like that weakling that I had before. He had no strength of will, but you do. Come, accept my offer. Bear this sword and I will guide you._

"All I have to do is carry a sword? And I can become stronger? I can leave this terrible place and become important?"

_Of course, child, of course. But the path to power shall be covered in blood. The only way to gain power is to kill. But I sense you aren't ready yet, so I won't ask you to kill. All you have to do is agree to carry this sword._

"I... I agree."

_Very good. Your first victims are right behind you._

"But you said I wouldn't have to kill anyone!"

_No, I said I wouldn't ask you. I'm not asking._

Darnmon gripped the side of his head with his right hand as a piercing, ringing noise echoed in his ears. It was incredibly painful, and it felt almost as if his body was changing. A black aura gathered around his body as he struggled to maintain control of his senses, but in the end he failed and went completely still. An old lady walked up behind the young man, concern evident on her face. She was obviously one of the nicer residents of the poor district, and wanted to make sure the young Dunmer was okay. Then, without warning, Darnmon spun around and impaled her with the black sword. The dark aura extended to her body as well, but it had a very different affect. The black aura completely blocked her body from sight, but when it dissipated, all that was left was a withered corpse. Standing over it was Darnmon, but he looked different. It was a minor change, but it looked as if he had gained muscle, and he simply looked stronger. The main change though, was that his eyes had turned pure black.

Someone screamed as they came out of their home, and they continued to scream as Darnmon advanced towards them, the wicked sword in hand. Many people were killed that day, in what would become know as the Sundas Massacre.

---------------

Darnmon looked out across the barren plain at the estate his parents owned. It was midnight, and all that could be seen were the torches on the walls and those held by the guards, armored in full bonemold armor. Darnmon had spent many years searching for his parents, trying to find their identities so that he could kill them for their betrayal. Recently, he had had the pleasure of sucking the life out of a Hlaalu noble, but before killing him, Darnmon had questioned him. From him, he learned that his parents were Hlaalu nobles, and has given him up because they didn't want someone who may someday assassinate them for their money. Now Darnmon would kill them, but for a completely different reason. And the voice agreed. Not only did the voice want him to kill his parents, it wanted him to kill everyone at the estate, nobility, guards, and servants alike. After spending so many years under it's growing influence, Darnmon was willing to do whatever it told him. After all, it had given him more power than he could have imagined growing up in Ebonheart, so he had no reason to even try to stop listening to it now.

Darnmon crept forward, his leather armor making very little noise as he came up behind the first guard and impaled him. Inside his bonemold armor, the Dunmer turned into a shriveled corpse, just as the old lady had. The aura silenced the screams, so none of the other guards were aware of their impending deaths. One by one, the guards died, until the last one finally noticed that all the lights around him had gone out and began shouting. A moment later, his head flew off. Four more guards came out of the main building and cast light spells all over the estate, but all they could find were the dead bodies of their comrades.

Then something attracted their attention. The servants quarters, which were opposite the main building, had been set on fire, and the tortured screams of those trapped inside sounded across the estate. As the four guards rushed to try and put out the flames, Darnmon snuck inside. He walked through the hallways and eventually reached the bedroom. With one mighty heave, he pushed open the barricaded oak door. Inside, a woman was cowering behind a man that held a sword that glowed red. Both were in their nightclothes, and both looked absolutely terrified.

"What do you want? Do you want money? I can pay you money if you'll just leave us in peace. Please, don't harm us!"

"I don't want your tainted money, old man. I want your head, for all the pain you've caused me!"

"What did I do to you? Listen, if I cheated you in some way, you have to understand. We're Hlaalu. It's all just business to us."

"Was it just business when you abandoned me as a child?"

As the realization set in, the man growled. "You! I knew I should have killed you, but your mother cared too much about you. She insisted we simply abandon you and let you die on your own instead of simply killing you in the cradle. She was too weak-willed then. But I'll end you now!"

Darnmon's father rushed forward with his sword, and he swung it towards him while he was still have way across the room. Suddenly, a wave of fire in the form of a sword slash came at him. Darnmon simply raised his sword and blocked the fire with some sort of shield made from the dark aura. He sneered, before raising his hand and releasing a burst of red fire, incinerating his father, yet leaving the sword untouched. Darnmon then advanced on his mother and stabbed her in the chest, draining her life force. His grizzly work complete, Darnmon moved to leave, but before he did his attention was drawn to the sword his father had held, and to a similar looking sword mounted on the wall. Darnmon took both with him. The first was hot to the touch, and Darnmon had already seen that it was enchanted with a potent fire spell. The second was cold to the touch though, and Darnmon was willing to bet that it was enchanted with a frost spell. As he walked back down the halls, he began muttering to himself.

"These swords will be your legacy to me, father. Using them, I will spread death across this spiteful land. I hope that where ever you are, you can see me and that you despair, knowing that all of this was your fault."

Darnmon walked outside expecting to have to kill the other four guards, but instead they were all dead. The corpses surrounded a man cloaked and hooded in blue, but Darnmon could clearly see the eyes that glowed red. They pierced him straight to the shards of his broken soul, and he was rooted in place. The voice whispered urgently to kill this man, as it would give him more power than he could imagine, but Darnmon couldn't bring himself to do it, or indeed to even move. Then the man spoke.

"I am Berich, Master of the Order of the Blue Rose. I have a proposition for you, Darnmon..."

**A/N:** _Well, here's the first of what will be three side stories. I'm not the sort of person to write something where the characters are obviously black and white, I prefer to think that everyone is a shade of gray. Darnmon though, was definitely the closest any of my characters have come so far to actually being evil. I knew exactly how I wanted him to die when I made the character, and I wanted there to be a certain sense of irony in his death. Anyway, I was originally going to have this as a flashback in the actual story, but I figured it would work better as a side story. One thing worth noting is that I don't see the settlements in TES being as small as they are in game. For instance, in Morrowind, Ebonheart is essentially just a castle. In lore, these things are represented as being much bigger, with full-fledged towns and populations in the hundreds or even thousands. That's what I use in my writing, not the in-game representation._

_Now, two things. First, I have noticed that I have a few errors scattered throughout this fic, especially in the last chapter. I corrected all the ones I noticed from the last one. Once I finish this, I'll probably go back and fix those mistakes. I find it sort of weird that I'm so good at pointing out other people's mistakes, yet have a hard time spotting my own. I guess that's a true critic for ya. Also, I would like to sincerely thank the probably dozen or so people that have continued to read this fic in it's entirety. There are many other fics out there that are better than mine, so I'd just like to thank you all for spending the time to read this. It really makes me happy knowing that someone enjoys reading what I've written._


	15. Side Story 3: Malinus

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Three: Malinus_

The being that would become Malinus stood in the nothingness as lights swirled around him. He could hear voices, but could not understand what they said. He could see people, but they were far beyond his reach. The blinding light filled his senses and drowned him in it's power. Then, he heard something, something clear and precise. The voice was like a melody, beautiful and peaceful, and it echoed through his mind.

_I am Kynareth. You, my dear child, have been created for a very important purpose. You shall be our guardians, and shall protect this world from the evils that shall attempt to take hold of it. Several et'Ada have betrayed us, and even now they lay plans to take control of Mundus. You must stop them, for we are powerless due to our long labors in creating this world. You will have to do many dark deeds it protecting the world, but they must be done to protect Mundus. You cannot stop the rogue et'Ada. All you can do is stop those they influence. Your eternal task shall be to destroy the mortals who gain power through the rogue et'Ada. It shall be a grim task, but we shall grant you the power to accomplish it, and the strength of will to maintain your sanity. Do not fear, my child. No matter what happens, we will always be watching over you._

Then the light faded, and Malinus found himself in the middle of a forest. Despite how lush it appeared, it was so very barren compared to where he had been before.

---------------

As Malinus waded through the bodies of the fools that had stood against him, he reflected on what he was doing. He was walking through such a grand city, slaughtering all in his path and destroying everything. Was this truly right? The Aedra were divine, and kind, and loving towards the people, up until they became a threat anyway. And then he was sent to destroy them. His forms had changed many times over the centuries, but the task remained the same, and the outcome never changed. So much death. Was it really necessary, or were they just doing the Aedra's killing for no reason? Were the Daedra truly so much worse? Sometimes Malinus wondered what would happen if he simply stopped fighting, if he were to let the mortals continue their advancement. Then he remembered the voice he had heard when he had first been created, and he went on slaughtering.

---------------

That night, Malinus's dreams were torture. That night, something very strange occured.

_Do you know why you fight?_

Malinus woke with a start, and looked around, trying to determine where to voice had come from.

_Do not be afraid, child, I simply wish to speak with you._

The voice seemed very familiar. Almost like the voice of Kynareth, yet not quite so. It was more cruel and dark, but it held power, and it held Malinus's attention in a way very few things had in the past.

_I am Hircine, one of the true et'Ada. It has been very difficult gaining your attention, child, but there is something I must ask you. Why do you fight us? Why do you not fight for us? Why continue to aid the vile Aedra, who rebelled against their brethren when they sided with Lorkhan?_

"Because they created me for this task. They filled me with their power and gave me everything I am. I am eternally grateful to them."

_But do you not understand? They have graced you with nothing. Instead, they have cursed you with an existence filled with bloodshed and evil acts, all to prevent progress. The Aedra are afraid. All they want to do is maintain their existence. They don't care about you. They don't care about the people! But we do. We fight to save the people from their malice. Join us, and help stop what you began._

"I cannot, I was given this task by the Aedra, and I will not fall to the trickery of you rogue et'Ada." Even though he spoke these words, Hircine's argument made a lot of sense to Malinus, and he could already feel himself giving in.

_Is that truly what you feel? Are you not tortured by your task?_

"I..."

_Join us. Join us and save those who you had been tasked with killing._

"No. No I will not. I will maintain my task and I will continue to fight. However... I am not the fool of the Aedra. I do not fight for them. I fight solely for the Master, and from here on, I follow only his orders. I will not kill in the name of those who act kind yet stab all those around them in the back. "

The voice then went away, but whether Malinus realized it or not, Hircine had accomplished his task. He had broken Malinus's devotion, and he now controlled Malinus's powers. It would only be a matter of time before Malinus began noticing changes. For better or worse, he would never be the same.

**A/N: **_Just one more side story to go. Malinus was an interesting character to write, and I actually had some difficulty in killing him off. I had more plans in store for him, but I figured it made more sense to kill him at that moment, so I did. You may notice that I never described Malinus's appearance. This is because, more than either of the other two, Malinus's form is constantly changing. _


	16. Side Story 4: Eridor

**Disclaimer: **_I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works**.**_

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Four: Eridor_

Eridor sat calmly in his chair as three people entered the room. The one in the middle was an arrogant looking Altmer, and he wore a very expensive looking blue robe. The two on either side of him were also Altmers, one female, one male, and they both wore simple, red robes. Eridor leaned back in his seat as the middle Altmer took the seat across from him, and the other two went to stand guard.

"You have gone to a lot of trouble to find me, Bosmer. What do you want? Surely you are not a believer, or else you would not have killed my guards to get this far."

"How very perceptive of you. No, I am no believer in your ridiculous cult. However, I do have information that might benefit us both in the end. You see, I my name is Lieutenant Eridor, and I know you plan to kill the Emperor and his sons."

"Oh do you now? And do you plan to stop me?"

"Of course not. Quite the opposite actually. I am here representing a certain group that is interested in removing the Septims from power. We can give you their locations and escape routes, and on the condition that you kill one additional person for us, we will give them to you."

"Really? An interesting proposel. It would certainly speed our efforts along. Just who do you want us to kill?"

"He's no one of any importance to you, but he is a menace to us. His name is Riev, and he's an old man posing as a bishop in Skingrad. You'll know him when you see him, trust me. Kill him, and we'll give you the locations."

"And what's to stop me from simply taking the information from you? I am, after all, the son of the Camoran Usurper. It's well within my power."

"Oh, only this."

Eridor snapped his fingers, and all along the cave walls, men appeared from bright flashes of red light. They were all cloaked in blue, and all had weapons ready. The Mythic Dawn were outnumbered twenty to one.

"Hmm. You make a persuasive argument, Lieutenant Eridor. Very well. The Mythic Dawn shall take care of your bothersome bishop."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Camoran. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. Once you kill him, I shall return with the information and maps."

"And what's to stop you from not coming back?"

"Nothing at all. But then, what do you have to lose, hmm?"

---------------

Eridor walked through the halls of Gardenhall, a smirk on his face. Soon, Lord Riev would be dead, and as his most senior officer, Eridor would take his place. Ordinarily, Riev would have been able to crush the Mythic Dawn, but he was very old now, and didn't have nearly as much power as he did. Eridor could have simply waited for the old man to die, but he wasn't exactly a patient man. And besides, what if he were to give the promotion to Marius instead? No, better to kill him. Nothing would go wrong, and soon Riev would be dead. He should have known better than to delegate such an important task to an underling, especially one as ambitious as Eridor.

When he was a Lord and the Master gave him a chance, he would never be so foolish. He would even kill his own Lieutenants if they became too eager. He would certainly have to kill Marius. Better safe than sorry, after all.

---------------

"Your bishop is dead, Lieutenant. He put up much more of a fight than you implied. Twelve of my agents were killed. I want my information, now!"

"Patience, Mankar, patience. The chest behind me contains all the maps and notes you will need to pinpoint the location of the Imperial Family. And you don't know how grateful I am for your killing of Riev. I highly doubt we will ever meet again, but if we do, you may address me as Lord Eridor."

---------------

"And so, I promote you, Lieutenant Eridor, to the rank of Lord. You may take your seat at the table."

Eridor happily sat down, between Malinus and Claudius. Everyone could tell how overjoyed Eridor was with his new position, but reactions were mixed. Alexia didn't seem to care, Malinus and Aleron were both glaring at him, Claudius was watching with curiosity, while Rasien was stoic as always, yet there was a spark of anger behind his eyes. It didn't even occur to Eridor that any of them knew how he had attained his rank, but he did know that he had already made enemies. Most of the council realized that something was wrong with how Riev had died. They knew Eridor had to have had something to do with it, especially after the death of Marius, but they didn't know how much he had had to do with it, and so could not speak out against him.

"Eridor, how went the mission Riev assigned to you? I trust the results were... Satisfying?"

Eridor paled when he saw the look Berich was directing at him. He knew! Somehow, he knew exactly what had happened. "Yes... Yes everything went well. I gave the information to Camoran, and he will very soon carry out the assassination of the Imperial Family. Everything's in place."

"Very good. Your next mission will be to investigate the death of Lord Riev. I want to know exactly how he died. Claudius?"

"It took me a great deal of time, but I did locate the Gray Fox. I didn't contact him, but I will keep tabs on him. It's strange though. It's almost like the Thieves' Guild is preparing for something, or at least the higher ranks are. Do you want me to look into it?"

"No, I think I already know what will happen. Discontinue your surveillance of him. It's enough to know that he's still around."

"Master, if I may ask a favor?"

"You may."

"I would like to be assigned to help nine in his mission to find Lord Riev's killer."

"Hmm. I have no other task for you, so... Very well. Permission granted."

---------------

Eridor and Claudius walked down the hall, both silent. Chaos reigned in Eridor's mind as he contemplated what might happen if Claudius discovered what he had done. Then Claudius shocked Eridor out of his thoughts when he began to speak.

"I know what you did, Eridor."

Eridor stopped moving completely and paled. "What... What do you mean?"

"I know what you did to Riev. Just as I know what you did Marius and all the others who got in the way of your promotions. You think that just because you're the son of a Lord, that that entitles you to a seat of power? You think that just because you now have power, that you cannot be punished? Allow me to enlighten you. You do not get a seat on the Council, just because your father was on the Council. You do not get a free pass. You are either skilled, or you're not, and if you're not, you won't last very long. I know how paranoid you are, and you should be. Because if I ever hear about something like this again, the let me guarantee you that I will kill you personally and it will not be a painless death. I have no respect for those that backstab solely for their own gain."

"But I'm sure you've done it!"

"No. There's a difference between backstabbing for personal gain, and backstabbing for necessity. There's a difference between wanting power, and needing power. I need power, you only want it. Don't get greedy, or I might just have Alexia pay you a visit. I'm sure my sister would just find endless pleasure in tormenting you. You look so much like those little children she despises."

"There's no need for any of that. I have no plans of acting against you, or anyone else, Claudius."

"I'm sure. But just for a little incentive..."

Before Eridor could react, Claudius upper-cutted him with his hand, which had been glowing red. Eridor fell limply to the ground, and found that he couldn't get back up. He watched in terror as Claudius kneeled down next to him and summoned a Deadric dagger. He held it to his throat as he whispered to him.

"Don't ever think of betraying the Order. Don't ever think of betraying me. That's your only warning. But I don't think you quite get it yet, do you? Even now, you're formulating your revenge in that tiny little brain of yours. Allow me to dissuade you further."

Claudius pressed the dagger into his neck, and a small flow of blood dripped onto the floor.

"Are you convinced yet? I know you fear for your life, Eridor. I know how much you hate me right now. Lets make you hate me a little more, shall we?"

Claudius formed a small ball of fire in his other hand and held it right over Eridor's face. The smell of burning flesh was sickening, and Eridor would have been screaming out in agony if he could. Eventually, Claudius stopped and cast a small heal spell over Eridor's face.

"No more pain. You'll bear those scars for the rest of your life though. You'll never forget. Or will you? Perhaps a little tweaking with that little brain of yours is in order. Make you forget this whole ordeal... Or better yet, remember it in a different way. Yes, I have the perfect way to punish you, you traitor. Before this whole experience ends for you, there's one thing you should know. Riev was a good friend of mine, but an even better agent. He was advancing my agenda, but you had to RUIN IT! No one interrupts my plans. NO ONE! The next time you cross me, and you will, you will die. That's a promise."

---------------

Eridor looked in the mirror at his ruined face and cursed silently at that damned Riev. He had given a fierce battle, but in the end Eridor had triumphed. But only because he had been rescued by the Mythic Dawn. How humiliating that had been. But his face was an even more humiliating result. He had grasped at power, and though he had attained it, it had cost him much. It had scarred him mentally and physically, and it taught him that betrayal wasn't always necessarily the way to go. He should have just been patient, he shouldn't have rushed it. But he had, and this was his punishment. He would have to be much more careful in the future. Much more careful. Especially around that Claudius. He always glared at him whenever they were in the same room, and Eridor couldn't help but feel something was very wrong with him. Almost as if he knew something he didn't.

**A/N: **_This was actually very difficult for me to write. Eridor was always very generic, and there wasn't much that set him apart, aside from him being a Bosmer and all. Yet again, I never described Eridor's appearance, and I think you can guess why from this chapter. Honestly, I think this gives more insight into Claudius than it does Eridor, but it'll have to do. For the life of me, I just couldn't figure out anything overly unique to do with him until now._

_And thank you very much for all those reviews. It was a bit much, but you know, I'm not complaining._


	17. Chapter 12: Braving the Storm

**Disclai****mer****:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Twelve: Braving the Storm_

Aurrus looked across to the Khajiit that had saved his life. Once he had regained consciousness, Dro'shanji had told him who he was and who exactly they were fighting. The Order of the Blue Rose was their name, and they wanted to wipe everyone out. It seemed rather obvious to Aurrus that this Khajiit was not all that he appeared to be. Just from listening to him talk, Aurrus could guess that he was Thieves' Guild. Or Morag Tong. But if he was a Tong, then he probably just would have killed him by now.

"Tell me, Dro'Shanji, do you know exactly where we are? I'm afraid that Mariana was leading, and I don't really know my bearings."

"We are near Skingrad. Very near, in fact. I was told by my superior to head here for something, though I'm not sure what. Last Dro'shanji heard, Skingrad was occupied by those Order people. It will most likely be very difficult getting in."

"I see. Well I have to go to Skingrad anyway, so I'll help you get in. Just how close are we to..."

Aurrus stopped talking as the sound of clashing steel reached his ears. Dro'shanji was already ahead of him, and was crouched down with his bow, moving slowly towards the edge of the forest. Aurrus drew his bow as well, but instead of moving cautiously, he ran up and jumped, taking hold of a tree branch with one hand and pulling himself up to get a better view, much as he had before. What he saw was nearly enough to make him faint again. A massive battle was taking place outside the city of Skingrad, with the two armies stretching as far as the eye could see. Here, where there were no more trees to block the sound, the noise from the shouting and combat was nearly deafening. On one side, the Legionnaires were pushing, with the standard soldiers in the middle, rallying around their triarii in gold armor with the silver tipped spears and massive shields. The phalanx of triarii advanced in a wedge formation, partially splitting the massive force of the Order.

Meanwhile, the Legion cavalry charged ahead on the left and right flanks, though they were badly out of their element. They were mostly simple light cavalry in chain mail, and there were only a few heavy cavalry soldiers in steel plate. While they might fare well for a short period of time against the almost all light infantry soldiers of the Order, eventually they would be overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the Legion archers were firing volley after volley into the mass of soldiers in front of them, but the arrows had seemingly little effect. Aurrus watched as the struggle continued. It didn't appear to be moving in either direction very much and would probably go on for a while yet.

As he watched, Aurrus made a decision. He leapt from the tree and began sprinting towards the battle, and though he could hear Dro'shanji shouting in frustration behind him, he pressed forward. This was what the Night Mother had been talking about. All his enemies were gathered here. It was just a matter of finding them in the chaos.

---------------

Roland hit the ground as a sword broke his spear in two. Being one of the men to lead the charge definitely hadn't gone well. He couldn't see any of his comrades, but all around him, people were falling. Only minutes into the battle and already the ground was covered in blood. He had taken an arrow to the leg during the charge, when the archers had fired on them, but he still kept going, mostly because the people behind him were forcing him to move.

He drew the iron dagger he had at his waist and stabbed the nearest person to him in the leg, only to be viciously kicked away. He held his stomach as steel boots came down all around him. He could only pray he didn't get stepped on. Unfortunately, that didn't help him any, because a moment later he could feel a massive weight on his back, and then pain as someone in full steel armor fell on top of him with a sword sticking out of his helmet. His vision blurred slightly, but he could still see the banner of the Legion flying in the wind some distance away, where the elites were no doubt faring much better. Someone backing up tripped over the corpse on top of him, moving it enough for Roland to free himself. He grabbed the fallen man's steel sword and stabbed the Order soldier that had tripped over him in the chest. The man's hood fell off, but Roland quickly averted his gaze and got back on his feet.

Unfortunately for him, he got up only to face down three more Order soldiers. These were different than the rest though. They were all clad in ebony armor with ebony swords, and they all looked very angry.

"Oh, you can't be serious!"

Roland threw his sword at the lead soldier, who was advancing on him now, but the soldier caught it in his free hand and snapped the steel sword in two.

"Come on! That shouldn't even be possible!"

Roland turned to run, but found himself facing another Order soldier in the typical blue cloak, holding a glass battle axe. He backed up from the new threat as the man charged, his battle axe raised. He could hear footsteps behind him too, and at the last minute dived to the right. He picked up an iron sword off the ground that was covered in blood, then looked behind him, ready to fight. He was shocked to see that the man with the battle axe had split his comrade's helm, while the man in ebony had run the cloaked soldier through with his sword. The other two soldiers in ebony had disappeared in the chaos.

"I can't believe that actually worked."

Roland grinned for a second, then felt pain again as someone hit him in the back of the head with a blunt object. He fell to the ground and turned to see an Order soldier with a blank look on his face, holding a club. Roland scrambled for his sword, but couldn't find it. As the soldier advanced on him, an arrow flew through the air and pierced him though the neck. The slave-soldier fell forward onto Roland, pinning him to the ground.

"Not again!"

---------------

Aurrus drew another arrow as he saw the soldier fall to the ground. He picked out another target, a blue cloaked soldier with a longsword, and let the arrow fly. It hit him in the chest, and the man burst into flames. He heard footsteps behind him, and whipped out another arrow, stabbing the oncoming soldier in the eye with it. A sword came down to his left, and he backhanded the man away, then drew another arrow and fired it point blank into his face. The man did a flip before hitting the ground. He drew another arrow, but was knocked over as a soldier with a shield charged into him. As the man readied his sword, Aurrus pulled a dagger and plunged it into his boot. He heard a shout of pain from the man as the glass weapon easily penetrated the leather. He left the dagger there and drew a shortsword, stabbing it upwards into the man. He heard another shout, though this one was shorter, as the man fell to the ground a moment later, his neck cut open. The Legionnaire that had slain him moved off, and Aurrus sifted through the corpse littered ground for a few moments before locating his bow. The Legion forces were moving up, slowly but surely. As Aurrus rushed to rejoin the fight, he noticed someone squirming underneath a dead soldier. Aurrus kicked the body off of him, then ran forward, barely catching the thank you.

---------------

Roland searched around before finding a decent looking, steel-tipped spear. He picked it up and was about to move off, before noticing something green on the ground. I was a glass dagger. Roland snatched it up as well, as it would probably work far better than his iron one had. He barely made it three steps forward before the ground in front of him exploded in fire. He was knocked backwards by the force of it. When he got back up, he saw something that truly terrified him. The enemy commander.

---------------

Orson moved his horse forward at a slow walk, casually decapitating the occasional Legionnaire or sending a burst of flames into the crowd. An arrow flew through the air and hit him on the chest, but the arrow just bounced off his armor. To his surprise, the arrow the made the entire area around him burn in a maelstrom of flames.

---------------

Aurrus looked on with pride as the arrow blew up around the well armored horseman. His short moment of victory was crushed, however, as a figure moved out of the flames, a faint red shimmer around him. The cape he had been wearing had been completely burned off, just leaving his armor. The figure advanced with his sword drawn, and it glowed faintly purple. Aurrus reached for another arrow, only to find himself out.

"Damn! What to do, what to do?"

Aurrus pulled out another dagger and threw it at the man, but he casually caught it and threw it back at him. The dagger flew past him and impaled a Legion soldier behind him. Several men charged past him as one shouted, "Kill him! He's the enemy commander! Whoever kills him will be a hero!"

Six well armed and armored Legionnaires moved ahead of him, surrounding the man. He watched as three of them charged Orson at once. Orson raised his hand and shot a fireball at one of the men point blank, sending him flying, at the same time swinging his other hand around, hitting the second man in the face with the hilt of his sword, breaking his nose. He then stabbed forward, impaling the man in front of him. Two more men charged him. He punched the first in the face, knocking him backwards, and slashed horizontally at the second, cutting his stomach open as the sword slashed through the armor like butter. He walked forward and stabbed the other man as he struggled to regain his balance, then did the same with the man trying to get back up, who he had hit with the hilt of his sword. The last man turned to run, fearing for his life, but Orson just smiled. He pointed his sword at the man, and a strange purple beam shot from it, hitting the man in the back. His body was covered in a purple glow, as were the runes on Orson's sword. He held it in front of him and looked at it as the glow dissipated.

Aurrus ran for his life. He could tell a soul trap spell when he saw one, and had no reason to test himself against the obviously stronger opponent. The other men didn't seem to share his thoughts though, as they rushed forward to their deaths.

---------------

Roland moved forward with the rest of the soldiers, charging the enemy commander. There was only one thought going through Roland's head as he did so. _I'm committing suicide. _The first row of men were incinerated by a fire spell, but the other men leapt over the flames. One was cut down in mid-air, and a second was sent flying by another spell. He landed right in front of Roland, and he froze in terror as he looked at the burning body. Roland looked up in horror as the man walked through the flames and cut down everyone around him with a look of the utmost boredom on his face. He spun his sword all around, switching hands and directions so quickly that Roland could barely keep up. All around him, Legionnaires dropped with fatal injuries. Eventually, only Roland and Orson were left standing. Everyone else had either run off or were dead.

Orson raised an eyebrow in slight amusement as he viewed the shaking, pathetic excuse for a soldier in front of him.

"Really? Is this the best the Legion could muster? What trash. None of you could even come close to..."

Orson's look of amusement changed as he viewed Roland. A frown settled on his face.

"I know you. But from where? You're... You're Roland? Hmm, shame. You could have been useful, but Claudius no longer requires you or your ilk."

Roland's look of confusion only lasted for a moment before it changed back to horror. Orson advanced on him, then raised his sword and brought it down towards his neck

---------------

Aurrus stumbled as someone swept his feet out from under him with a spear. He reacted quickly, drawing his shortsword and stabbing the man in the leg. The massive man in ebony armor only growled. He stepped back and moved to impale Aurrus with his spear, until an arrow hit him in the eye. The figure fell limp, and Aurrus heard footsteps behind him, before a furry hand helped him to his feet.

"Dro'shanji seems to have a habit of saving you humans. Dro'shanj keeps telling you people not to run off, but do you listen to Dro'shanji? Nooooo. You have to run off into danger at the worst moments."

"Thank you Dro'shanji, but my mission is to kill the enemies here, so that is what I will do."

"Which enemies? Dro'shanji sees many enemies. Cloaked men, armored men, invincible men. And the Legion aren't much better, at least not for you and me."

"Perhaps, but I must still fight."

The Khajiit sighed, but nodded. "Very well then. We are relatively safe here for the moment, as the Legion has pushed forward. The triarii are faring well, as the enemy leadership is actually right here. Those men in ebony are the commander's elite guard. Be wary of them."

Aurrus moved forwards with Dro'shanji behind him. It seemed as if nearly getting killed and running into Dro'shanji had caused him to forget just what was ahead of him.

---------------

Roland opened his eyes once he realized that he wasn't dead. He looked up and saw something he wasn't expecting. The Champion was in front of him, his sword locked with Orson.

"Are you really that foolish Champion or are you simply stubborn? I told you to leave the field of battle." Orson growled behind gritted teeth.

"I will not bow my head to Claudius. Not again. While I watched many good men die, I realized something. You can't kill my daughter; you need her. No matter what Claudius might say, he wouldn't dare harm a hair on her head. I know what her power is. I know what her purpose is. Azura herself was gracious enough to inform me when I visited her realm. I learned many things there, about many people."

"What do you imply?"

"Leave the field Orson. This isn't what Monica would have wanted."

Orson screamed with rage and pushed forward, forcing Lucius to jump back.

"How would you know what Monica wanted you damn traitor! I'll kill you! Those years be damned, I'll kill you!"

Orson charged, stabbing forward, then bringing his sword up when he missed the lunge. It caught a piece of Lucius's hair as he leaned backwards, but he countered by swinging his sword towards him from the side, only to have it deflected.

"Monica is watching you, Orson. What would she think, looking at you now? How you've caused so much pain and death. This isn't what you were. Did her death really change you so?"

"Shut up! Monica's not dead! Not anymore."

"What did you do? Did you..."

"The Order has such power Lucius. You wouldn't understand. You never loved anyone. Only yourself."

"That's not true and you know it."

"Then why leave your daughter? Why abandon her? And why kill your wife? Damn traitor!"

Orson shot a fireball at him, which Lucius absorbed in one hand and shot back at Orson. Orson merely sidestepped as the spell flew past him. He moved forwards, slashing one way, then reversing, going for Lucius's leg. Lucius was too slow to react in time, and received a cut to his left leg, which began to bleed rather badly. Lucius responded by slashing at Orson's arm as he moved back, inflicting a cut on Orson's sword arm which bled profusely. So much so that Orson had to switch his sword over to his other hand.

"Leave the field Orson. You know I never intended for any of that to happen. Please withdraw. I don't want to kill you."

"But I want to kill you!"

Orson moved forward again, nicking Lucius on his spare arm before taking a gash to his right leg. He shouted in pain and cursed again as he clumsily backed up.

"Damn you! Why... Why did this have to happen. Why did this have to happen to me... Monica..."

"Orson... It wasn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself. More than anything else, your self hate has caused things to end as they have."

"No. It was my fault. I wasn't there. I wasn't there! I couldn't hold her or tell her how much I loved her. I couldn't do a thing. Do you know what the healers told me? They said she was calling my name at the end. And I wasn't there. I was never there, not when it counted."

"Orson, it was beyond your control. We've both lost so much, but we've dealt with it in different ways. I once took your path. I gave in. But then I realized that Lydia was in a better place. She's gone to Aetherius, just as Monica has. I know you're still bitter, and I know you still hate me, but... You have to realize, this isn't right! Look what you've been brought to! Don't give in to Berich's rambling and don't give in to Claudius's plotting. Stop and withdraw. End this nonsense!"

"No! You're wrong. Monica is back now. Berich returned her to me. Everything about her is the same. How she smells, how she smiles, how she speaks. They brought her back to me! They gave me something the Empire never could. They gave me hope."

"What they did was give you necromancy, or maybe something even worse. You know it's not her."

"You're wrong! You have to be wrong... If you're not, then everything I've done has been a waste, and my soul couldn't take that. So in the name of the Order you once served, I shall complete the death sentence put on your head so long ago."

Orson charged forward, only to take a slash to the head. It didn't kill him, but it did make him stumble. He regained his balance and turned back around, now blind in one eye due to the blood flowing down his face. He moved forward again, at the slowest speed yet, completely missing with his slash. He took another hit, this time to his sword arm. He dropped his sword, but bent down and picked it back up. He held it clumsily as he faced Lucius, who now had a sad look on his face. He viewed Orson with pity, and couldn't help but compare their lives as he charged once again. They were so very similar, yet so different. Orson fell at the last moment, finally losing his balance. Lucius moved forwards and stabbed him in the stomach, catching him with his other hand as he fell.

He stood there for a moment as blood fell to the ground. All around him people had stopped fighting. Something important had happened during their duel, and the soldiers that had once been zombies were now staring in confusion. They had regained their souls, but had no idea who they were. The Order soldiers who had knowingly served them had sensed a change of momentum and retreated back to Skingrad.

"Lucius... Damn you... Always so stubborn."

Lucius looked down as Orson struggled to speak, spitting out blood with every word.

"Damn you... You were right. The whole time you were right, and I knew it. But her face... I remember it so clearly, all the way back to when we were married. I couldn't pass up the chance, even if it was fake. I needed her to live, even if it meant making an abomination of her memory. But now it's over... My nightmare is over... Do you think I'll see her, Lucius? Or will I go somewhere else, where I can't reach her."

"You'll see her again Orson, don't worry. You'll see her. And maybe in the next life you'll meet her again."

"Such comforting lies... In trying to see her again, I've given up my only chance to truly see her... You know where Gardenhall is, I have no need to give you any help. But watch for Claudius. His plans are nearly complete, and once they finish, you know there will only be one way to stop him."

"I know, Orson. Rest well, friend."

"Ha... Ha ha ha... No rest for the wicked..."

**A/N:** _Well, that's another chapter down. It's a little shorter than I had originally intended, but I think it serves it's purpose, for the most part. I'll explain more into the conversation between Orson and Lucius if I ever do that prequel._


	18. Side Story 5: Orson

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works**.**_

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Five: Orson_

Orson kneeled before the table set above him, where the five members of the Council of Roses were deliberating over his fate. He and one other had been captured by Claudius some time ago, but from what he understood, Claudius had asked for them to be directly promoted to be his Lieutenants. Such a thing was completely unheard of in the Order, though Orson didn't realize it. Never before had someone who had not been born into the Order been put directly into a commanding position. There was an uproar at the council meeting that Claudius had proposed it at, and Berich had had to become involved to maintain order.

While it might not seem like much, very few people not born to it ever joined the Order as it was. They hadn't had to recruit people from the outside world for centuries. So now, for someone to be automatically promoted out of the blue was quite the shock. Of course none of this was known to Orson, but he did know that if he didn't pass, they would likely execute him. Either way was fine by him. He didn't have anything to live for anyway, not after what had happened. Without Monica, what purpose was there to his life? Certainly he had no more loyalty to the Legion. They had caused all of it, after all.

After what seemed like hours, the council members stopped arguing. It seemed that they were ready to announce their decision. Orson looked up and watched them. Claudius, with his messy hair and appraising stare. Alexia, with her spiteful sneer and bored expression. Rasien, with his stoic demeanor and careful attitude. Malinus, with his amused and knowing gaze. And Berich, with his piercing eyes that went straight to Orson's soul.

Alexia went first. "Why not. I'm sure dear brother could always use a few new lackeys. Heh, you always have to make trouble somehow, don't you?"

Claudius continued to watch Orson with his hands clasped in front of him. "No more than you, dearest sister. But unlike you, I simply want what's best for the Order, I don't cause trouble for trouble's sake. I approve, of course."

Malinus went next. "The change should be interesting. Who knows, maybe you'll even make it to the council one day. I wouldn't put it past Claudius to somehow maneuver you into it. Approved."

Although he had already been approved, Rasien, always sticking to the rules, still put in his vote. " I say no. No need to alter tradition now. But I suppose what I say doesn't really matter at this point, does it?"

Berich finalized the decision. "Very well then, Lieutenant Orson, you may rise. You are now a member of the Order of the Blue Rose, and are subject to it's rules and decisions. Failure to comply means your immediate execution. I hope you're prepared for what's ahead of you. I shall trust Claudius to explain everything in detail to you."

He then waved his hand, and another figure was teleported into the room. Orson barely caught a glimpse of Lucius as he was sent to his new room. He hated that man so much, but his previous life still prevented him from doing him harm. For the moment, they were still friends. But the first chance he got, the first time Lucius messed up, he would be dead.

---------------

As Orson prepared to leave for his mission, the subjugation of a small village containing an important Ayleid artifact, there was a knock at his door. He walked over to it and opened it, and found himself face to face with Berich. Despite being a member of the Order for nearly ten years, Orson had only seen Berich three or four times since that first day. He mostly kept to himself or the council, and wasn't seen very often at all by anyone else.

"Lieutenant Orson, I have something important to tell you. I know how your soul continues to be tortured by the loss of your wife, and I would like you to know that I can now restore her to you. She won't be then same, since taking a soul from Aetherius is very different from taking one stored in a soul gem, but I can do it. If I deem your results in this mission are adequate, of course."

Orson smiled as he hadn't in years, and bowed to him. "I promise you I shall perform this task with all of my abilities. I shall not fail you."

"I should hope not, because if you do, you will face the same consequences as Lucius."

---------------

Orson moved through the village of peasants, slaughtering everyone in his path. Men, women, children, it didn't matter to him. They were in his way, but more importantly, they were in the way of him reuniting with Monica. He set fire to the occasional hut, and could hear screams from inside, but he didn't care. He ignored them, and made a path of corpses to the only building in the village made of stone. It was a temple, and looked vaguely Daedric in origin, though there were obviously Ayleid influences as well. Orson moved up to the stone door which had been sealed by some of the quicker villagers. He could barely hear a baby crying from inside.

He put his free hand up to the door and concentrated for a moment. The solid stone door began to tremble, then shake violently, before exploding inward, crushing anyone unfortunate enough to be in front of it. One of the temble priests, garbed in strange purple robe, rushed forward and begged him to stop, referencing some cult-like nonsense of revenge for misdeeds. Orson decapitited him, then proceeded to cut down everyone in the room. He set fire to the tapestries and cloth in the room, and the temple filled with smoke as he entered the inner chambers.

In the middle of it sat an open chest, and inside it, amid pillows and padding, sat a bright jewel, which glowed light blue. It was a Welkynd Stone, but it glowed with more power than Orson had ever seen before. Unfortunately, between him and it sat a young woman with a baby in her arms, probably the baby he had heard crying earlier. The woman was crying also at this point, and Orson strode up to her and raised his sword to kill both her and the baby.

At the last moment, she looked up, her bright blue eyes streaming with tears, and her face changed from the young woman's to Monica's. Orson paused just before the sword pierced her neck, and she looked up at him with an expression of defiance. But Orson no longer saw the young woman. All he saw was Monica, staring up at him with that sweet smile she always wore when he was looking. How he had loved seeing her smile, even when he had known it was false. She had been so brave near the end. She claimed she was fine and tried acting the same, but Orson could tell just how sick she was. It wasn't until their anniversary that things took a turn for the worse. She had collapsed during dinner, and Orson could remember running through the rain as a bell rang in the distance.

He had made it, but she was barely clinging to life. The healers took her and assured him that they would take care of her, but he hadn't believed them. It was only when the Legion forced him to go to his post that he had left her. He stayed with her every minute he could spare, so much so that he barely took care of himself. His appearance turned ragged and he lost weight. His face still bore the marks of those days.

And so as Orson stared down at the vision of Monica in front of him, he realized what he was doing. He staggered back as if struck and hit a wall. He dropped his sword and slid down the wall, holding his head in his hands as he cried. The woman took this chance to escape, and when Orson looked back up, Monica was gone. He cursed and hit the wall over and over again until his hands bled and went numb. He was barely controlling himself as he picked up the Welkynd Stone and teleported away from the devastated village.

He delivered his report to Claudius and gave him the Welkynd Stone, telling him that he had killed everyone in the village. Claudius looked at him strangely as he took the jewel, but said nothing.

---------------

Orson looked up at the copy of Monica that Rasien had delivered to him earlier. It was truly an abomination, and Orson could barely stand looking at her. Sure enough, she looked exactly like Monica had, but she had no soul. Despite Berich's promises, she was just an empty husk meant to look like her. _What a mockery of her memory. _He had gone through so much to achieve this, knowing the entire time that this would be the result, but now he couldn't even bare to glance in her direction. The guilt of his actions burned through his soul much as his fire had burned the bodies of those innocent peasants.

"Darling... Darling... Darling..."

Orson looked up to see the copy looking blankly at him, and it took him a moment to realize that he was crying again. This was the result of his actions. This was his reward, or perhaps damnation. Maybe both and neither at the same time. He was tempted to cut the abomination in front if him down, but even knowing that it wasn't her, he couldn't bear to bring harm to her image. He would be stuck with this copy for the rest of his life, and he would have to learn to accept it as the consequences of his actions. Eventually, he might even come to believe that she really was his Monica.

Unfortunately for Orson, that's exactly what he convinced himself of, and as he began to think of the copy as the true Monica, what little was left of his tortured soul began to fade away, only being recalled at the end of his life. But perhaps that's for the best.

**A/N:** _Kay, so the next chapter won't be up for a little while, because I want to post the next two up at the same time. And just to avoid confusion in the future, the next two chapters will be taking place before and during Orson's and Lucius's duel. And yes, if you couldn't tell from what I said in the last chapter, Lucius was in the Order at one point._


	19. Chapter 13: The Search for Truth, Part 1

**Disclaimer: **_I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Thirteen: The Search for Truth, Part One_

Caius looked around nervously as he walked down the Halls of the Forgotten. The men behind him were uneasy, and though they were all armed with the finest weapons, they knew what lurked here, and they knew nothing they had could harm them. Caius silently cursed Darnmon for giving him this task. It was almost as if he wanted him to die. Why couldn't Malinus have done this? The Forgotten wouldn't bother him, but instead, they gave the job to the man who couldn't even fight anymore.

It seemed to Caius as if they had been walking forever. He knew how to get to Rasien's lab, and by all rights, they should have been there by now. Something was very wrong. A moment later, he turned a corner and ran into a dead end, which was most definitely not supposed to be there. Then, he heard shrieking all around him, from above and below, through the walls and in the corridor he had just came from. The men began to panic as they drew their weapons. Caius pushed his way through them and walked back the way they had came. At the far end, just within Caius's vision, was a wall. The corridor had somehow become sealed off behind him. His eyes widened with fear as he struggled to draw his sword with his other hand.

All around the men, yellow eyes glowed with hunger. The soldiers began to shout and started casting spells and shooting arrows at the figures, but they faded before anything hit them. Then, one man in the back screamed in pain. Caius turned as the men began to loose their self-control and began attacking shadows. There was nothing there. No dying man, no monster, not even the glowing eyes. Instead, the passage was open again.

---------------

Aleron crept through the shadows of the underground passageway he had tracked the Gray Fox to. It had been very difficult finding him, but once he had, Aleron immediately recognized something. He was heading towards Gardenhall. He had seen him a number of times, but every time, just as he was about to strike, he disappeared. It was becoming very frustrating for the Breton. His brown eyes searched the shadows for any sign of the Gray Fox's passage, but could find none. He signaled to the men behind him to take the left and right paths of the tunnel, while he headed forward with two men behind him.

He walked for several minutes until he heard a noise, like muffled voices. Before he could make sense of what they were saying, arrows flew through the darkness, and Aleron could feel his body go rigid. Paralysis.

---------------

Caius continued marching down the corridor, but it seemed to be leading to nowhere. He ceased seeing doors or torches, and the halls were pitch black except for the light spells some of his men had cast. All of a sudden, he heard screaming behind him, and turned around to see one of his soldiers being pulled up, _through the ceiling, _by a pair of sickly white hands. The rest of his men started pulling on his legs as the poor soul screamed, until eventually his head went through the ceiling. The body fell to ground, now missing a pair of arms and a head. Caius, now terrified beyond all reason, ran down the corridor. Several men followed, but behind them new screaming started. Shrill shrieks soon filled the air as well, and Caius knew he wouldn't be able to outrun these creatures.

---------------

Vilyn was sitting on his bed, looking at his Dai-Katana, when someone knocked on his door. He unsheathed his sword, remembering Claudius's words. _If someone knocks, don't answer. Just be prepared to defend yourself. _As he eased into his fighting stance, the door burst open. Four Order soldiers ran in, their swords already drawn. Vilyn decapitated the first one, then parried a blow from the second. The third went high, and Vilyn could feel the steel biting into his shoulder, but he ignored the pain, impaling the second who had paused in his attack momentarily, and slitting the third's throat with a dagger he had just drawn, despite how much pain it caused him. The fourth man looked on, uncertainty evident in his expression, but he had no chance to make a decision, as someone behind him crushed him with a giant warhammer.

"Anyone who even thinks of running will die by my hand. Kill this fool in the name of your new Master, Lord Darnmon!"

The massive Redguard raised his hand and shot a barrage of ice at Vilyn. He dodged just in time, and the ice hit the wall. Surprisingly, the spell was strong enough to shatter the stone. Vilyn took the opportunity and ran, putting his Dai-Katana back in his sheath as he did so, so he wouldn't have to carry it.

"After him! Don't let him escape!"

Vilyn could hear at least a dozen people running behind him, and it wasn't long before spells and arrows began flying past him.

---------------

Caius kept running for as long as he could, until he hit another dead end. He turned and found that no one was behind him. He was alone in the darkness. He heard a growling noise behind him, and turned, slashing at the shadows, but nothing was there. He frantically searched the corridor for any sign of the creature, but saw nothing. Then, all around him, dozens of yellow eyes appeared. Caius screamed and slashed at one of the creatures as it lunged at him, but his blade passed through the creature. Unfortunately for him, the creature's teeth were quite capable of sinking into his flesh. His screams filled the corridor for only a moment, and then, all was silence.

---------------

Aleron woke up and tried to move, only to find himself securely bound by something. He would have determined just what this thing was, but he couldn't move his head to look at what was binding him.

"Ah, so you're awake? Good, good. We have much to discuss, you and I. Oh yes indeed."

Aleron could hear the rough voice, but couldn't see who was talking to him. Wherever he was, he was facing a wall, with a light shining behind him.

"I take it you're the Gray Fox then?"

"Yes, yes. Quite correct. I am the one you would call the Gray Fox. He he, ohhh Claudius will be so surprised to learn that I've captured one of his little minions."

"What do you mean? I was sent under the orders of Master Berich, not Claudius. Why would I ever take orders from him?"

"What a naive little fellow you are. But I suppose that's to be expected, what with how young you are and all. Surely you can see?"

"Of course. I'm not blind. So why don't you turn me around so I can see your face?"

"Oh, I don't think so little friend. Nice try though. But if you can see, surely you realize that he's pulling the strings to you puppets? Heh heh, or maybe you're blind after all? Well then, let me show you the truth. Berich sent you here, but Claudius, being the clever old rascal that he is, manipulated the events to get rid of you, hoping that I would kill you upon capturing you. But see I'm smarter than he gave me credit for. Even now, another of his minions is coming to kill both you and me, but I'm prepared. I'll capture her just like I did you."

"What nonsense. Claudius has no reason to get... Wait. Did you say her? As in Alexia?"

"Oh yes indeed. I believe that's her name. But fear not, little child, for I shall save you from her. And myself in the process of course. You see, once I've captured her, I'll shine the ray of truth on her as well and she'll lead me to Claudius so that I can finally have that long awaited conversation he promised me."

"What in Oblivion are you talking about? Do you honestly think you can capture Alexia? She'll tear you to pieces, literally."

"I have it all under control, little child, don't worry. I see every aspect of Claudius's plan, clear as day. That little mind wipe he tried on me didn't work out so well. He forgot how unstable Daedric artifacts are, and instead of forgetting, I gained knowledge. Oh so much knowledge. Too much knowledge. All the knowledge makes my head hurt, actually. But enough of my rambling, the time for action has almost arrived."

---------------

Roland dived to the right as another Order soldier took a swing at him. After being saved by the Champion, he had run like he never had before, only to run straight into a full company of Order soldiers that had been brought in as reinforcements. He rolled to the left, avoiding a claymore, and grabbed a nearby spear. He plunged it into the soldier's neck as he struggled to get his claymore out of the ground. Unfortunately, when he tried to pull it out, the spear tip broke off. He stared at his now useless weapon, completely shocked at his near constant bad luck.

He was knocked to the ground yet again when a longsword split the rest of the spear in half. He scrambled away, only to find himself at the feet of another soldier, this one with a mace.

"Can't we talk about this?"

The soldier's glazed eyes gave Roland his answer. As he braced himself for death, an arrow hit the man in the back of the head, and he heard shouting behind him. He turned and saw something that nearly brought him to tears. Dro'shanji was a short distance away, no doubt shouting insults at Roland, but all he cared about was that the Khajiit had come to save him again. Behind him burst through nearly a dozen Legionnaires, and what looked like a Dark Brotherhood assassin. Roland took the time to wonder how that combination had happened, but while his attention was diverted by that, someone hit him in the back of the head with a club. Again. Roland then blacked out, finally reaching his limit for punishment.

---------------

Dro'shanji quietly cursed at the Breton for allowing himself to be distracted like that. He took his last arrow and fired it into the crowd of Order soldiers. He was satisfied when he heard a scream of pain from that direction. He then dropped his bow and rushed at the enemies, with nothing but some leather armor and his fists to protect him. He jumped right before reaching them, soaring over a sword and kicking the man in the head. He heard his neck snap, and when he hit the ground, Dro'shanji immediately swept the feet of another soldier. His weapon flew through the air, and ended up coming back down and impaling the man as he struggled to rise.

Dro'shanji backhanded another, sending him spinning into two of his fellow soldiers, then punched another in the gut. He doubled over in pain, lining himself up for a vicious uppercut. Sensing danger, Dro'shanji spun and slashed another soldier across the face with his claws, leaving terrible wounds. The man collapsed holding his face while he cried out in agony. As Dro'shanji and his allies continued to dismantle the slave soldiers, there was only one thought going through his mind. _What pushovers._

---------------

Aurrus dodged a flying corpse as it went soaring past him. In front of him was possibly the biggest Nord he had ever seen, easily reaching ten feet tall. And the man was all muscle. He wielded a claymore and giant mace at the same time, demolishing anything that came near him.

"Geez, and what have they been feeding you?"

As soon as he said those words, the giant Nord looked at him and charged.

"Oh, that's not good."

Aurrus drew two daggers and threw them both at the nearly unarmored Nord, but he simply shrugged off the wounds and kept running. Now slightly fearful, Aurrus shot a spell at one of his legs, encasing it in ice. This stopped the Nord in his tracks, but Aurrus's relief only lasted for a moment, as the Nord raised his mace and brought it down on the ice encased leg, shattering the ice and freeing himself.

"Hey now, that's cheating!"

As the Nord renewed his rush, Aurrus drew his shortsword and braced himself. Unfortunately, no amount of bracing would stop the giant mace from sending him flying or from shattering his shortsword. Aurrus got up, slightly dizzy, and gazed at the handle of his weapon. That was all that was left of it. He discarded it and picked up a nearby silver shortsword off the ground. As the Nord charged again, Aurrus formulated a plan. If Mariana could do it, so could he. He rushed towards the Nord at top speed, and as the man slashed at him with his claymore, Aurrus jumped. He had infused his feet with magicka, allowing him to jump much higher, and just as he cleared the Nord's head, he stabbed downwards, catching the giant in the neck. Aurrus let go of the sword and landed behind the giant, then turned to watch the massive warrior crash to the ground, dead. Aurrus smirked, until he looked around and saw that he, Dro'shanji, and a few Legionnaires were completely surrounded by a few dozen Order soldiers.

---------------

Selena woke up to find herself lying in her bed. She glanced around and found no one there, so she got up and began to pace. She really didn't know what to do. How could Berich expect her to make a decision like that? For all she knew, he might not have even been telling the truth. But then why...

Her thoughts were never completed as a flash of red light interrupted her. Berich stood in front of her, his hood back up.

"Come, Selena, there is something I wish to show you. I have been waiting for you to awaken, and I'm afraid things have taken a turn for the worse."

Before she could even respond, she was teleported away.

---------------

When Selena's vision cleared, she found herself standing on top of a wall. But not just any wall. It was the wall of Castle Skingrad, and below her was a massive battle. Even all the way up here she could hear the screams and suffering. She turned to Berich, who was standing behind her watching the battle progress.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"So that you may understand the necessity of your position. If you would simply agree to take my place, all this would end. This civilization would crumble and no one would have to experience any more pain. With the kind of power you possess, you could easily crush this entire continent. There would be no extended battles or war, there would simply be one moment of pain, and then nothing. You can end this, it's within your power."

"But I can't! These are innocent people! I couldn't possibly kill anyone. It's wrong, and I especially can't do what you're asking me. I'm a very peaceful person. I don't want anyone to experience any pain. I don't want anyone to die."

"Hah, innocent? No one is innocent. And everyone must die someday, you would simply be speeding things along. Watch the death in front of you, and realize what you must do."

Selena turned, but kept her head down. She simply didn't have it in her to watch, even from this distance.

---------------

Alexia dropped from a hole in the ceiling into a small passageway. She crept along, watching carefully for any sign of movement. A few moments later, she heard arrows flying towards her, but unlike Aleron, she could deal with them. She raised both hands and shot bolt after bolt of lightning into the darkness, and each shot hit an arrow in mid-flight. As the arrows ceased, she summoned a Daedric dagger in each hand. She dashed forward as more arrows shot out from the darkness at her, but she moved so quickly that she easily dodged them. She saw movement in a side passage and leaped, planting her feet on the wall as she threw one of the daggers into it. A moment later there was a massive surge of electricity, and then nothing. She did the same for three more side passages, that were well concealed. Only someone that knew they were there would notice them. But Alexia did know they were there. They were right above Gardenhall, after all, and Alexia had spent years memorized every path and passage in the labyrinth like place.

After electrocuting all the archers in her way, she eventually reached a giant chamber, lit by several torches. On the far side, facing the wall and held by a wooden post and lots of strange looking rope, was Aleron. Alexia slowly moved forward, wary of traps, but she reached Aleron with no problems.

"Well now what have we here? Poor little Aleron got caught by the Gray Fox did he? Pity."

"Enough Alexia, just get me out of this."

"Hmm, I think not. I think I'll kill you instead."

"What!"

Just as Alexia was about to plunge a dagger into Aleron's back, she heard a crossbow fire directly behind her. She dived out of the way, but the bolt hit Aleron in the back, and his head slumped a moment later.

"Damn! I certainly didn't mean for that to happen. Poor kid. There was enough poison in there to kill him, unfortunately. Would have been just the right amount to completely paralyze you though."

Alexia looked at the figure that stepped out of the shadows, noting his green skin. "Huh. I would have never expected the Gray Fox to be an Orc."

"Yeah, I tend to get that a lot. But ya gotta do what you enjoy right? Even if it doesn't seem natural."

"I suppose. Why exactly are you just standing there? You do realize I'm going to kill you now, right? Shouldn't you be running or something?"

"Nah."

"And why not?"

"Because of this."

Immediately after he said that, he drew a curious looking object out from behind his back and shot it. Alexia moved to dodge it too, but for once, she was too slow. The bullet hit her in the leg, and she fell to the floor, experiencing a pain she had never felt before. A moment later, her body went rigid.

"Gods I love the Redguards. They're so innovative, don't you think? I do believe they call this thing a pistol. The little brother of the cannon, if you will. I do believe you Order folk have heard of them, haven't you? Or are you really that far behind the times?"

Alexia growled at him, but that's all she could do.

"You see, these things shoot something they call a bullet. I have no idea how the thing works, or even how to reload it, but I only needed the one shot anyway. The bullet was coated in the same poison as the crossbow bolt, you see. It's very nice, in my personal opinion. One of only three in the world. I stole this one personally as it was being developed. I did hear that the things have the unfortunate side effect of blowing up in your face, but it looks like I dodged the bullet on that one. Unlike you!"

If Alexia could move, she would be ripping the Orc's throat out right now, if only because of the horrible pun.

**A/N: **_One half down, one to go. Hope you enjoyed my version of the Gray Fox!_


	20. Chapter 14: The Search for Truth, Part 2

**Disclaimer: **_I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Fourteen: The Search for Truth, Part Two_

Rasien looked up from his desk as someone entered his lab. It was Claudius, and he had a curious looking smirk on his face. Rasien got up, a look of suspicion on his face. "What do you want, Claudius? You think I don't know what you did, or what you planned to do? I didn't quite get it at first, but now all the pieces have come together. You... You TRAITOR! After all your preaching and all your supposed loyalty. After all those years of gaining Berich's trust... You were the only one he fully trusted, you know? I would come close to saying he was like a father to you, except he's not human. But then neither are you, are you? You're just a predator lurking on the side, waiting to pounce at the most opportune moment. Well no more. I've put up with you so long only because I had no evidence of your plot, but consequences be damned, I WILL kill you now. Even if Berich executes me for it later, it is for the good of the Order."

Rasien snapped his fingers, and the walls around him collapsed, revealing an army of Dremora. He motioned with one hand, and the all charged him all at once. Claudius just smirked and casually moved a finger, and everything erupted in blue flames. The Dremora screamed in agony as the magic fire burned their skin. Never before had they felt such pain, but fortunately for them, it was over near instantaneously. Over the course of three seconds, Claudius has single-handedly demolished nearly sixty elite Dremora. Rasien looked on in shock.

"But... But how! You shoudn't still be that powerful! Why hasn't your power declined like ours have?"

Claudius began laughing hysterically. "Oh, Rasien. Foolish, foolish, Rasien. You, the genius of the Order, lack common sense. My power was lesser, meaning it degrades slower, to the point where I could easily wipe you from existence. I wouldn't even have to use the power stored in these two stones."

"You killed Malinus... I knew that, but how did you obtain Berich's? He's the most powerful of us all, surely you couldn't have killed him."

"Of course not. But don't worry old man, I will soon enough. And then, with him out of the way, I will finally go unopposed, and my plan can finally be completed."

"You're insane! What you want to do is insane! It goes against the very nature of our beings! You're spiting the Gods, both Daedra and Aedra. Do you really expect to live once this is all over?"

"Of course not. That's the entire reason for my doing this. I want to die. Don't you understand, Rasien, or do I continue to defy your logic? I shall bring down the Order, and everyone else with it, if necessary."

"Fool! You're dooming the world!"

"No. The Gods stopped caring about this world long ago. I'm simply taking advantage of their ignorance."

Rasien lifted his hands up as Claudius shot a stream of blue fire at him. The earth around Rasien rose, protecting him from the lethal flames. From inside his temporary shelter, he continued motioning with his hands. Spikes shot out from the wall at Claudius, but he easily dodged them. The ceiling came down on top of him, but he melted the stones with his fire before they reached him. Finally the floor fell out from under him, but he used a simple levitation spell.

"Is that all you have, old man? I was expecting more from number two."

Rasien began making wild hand movements, and suddenly warriors made of stone popped up out of the ground, wielding stone axes and swords. Around them shined a red shield, protecting them partially from Claudius's fire.

"Interesting. Now this will be more of a challenge."

---------------

As Alexia listened to the Gray Fox ramble on and on about so many pointless things, she could feel her eye start to twitch. She was really going to enjoy killing this one.

"Oh, that was a fun time. The rewards for that theft were truly magnificent. Enough for a king, some might say. But now I've drifted somewhat off the topic at hand."

_Oh gee, you think? Try two hours ago._

"What was the point I was trying the make? Oh yes. Claudius's plan. He's collecting power for himself, a ridicous amount of power, all for the singular purpose of toppling Berich so that he may take control of the Order. I can't say for sure what he plans to do afterwards, but if I had to guess, I'd say he plans to wipe out any remaining dangers the Legion might present, but he doesn't have the same goals as Berich. Not by a long shot."

"You're telling me this? You do realize who I am, right? Claudius's sister? The person he told his plan to to begin with?"

"Of course I know that! But do you honestly think he would have told you everything? No, his plans go farther than what you think, and the end result may only be reached with everyones' death, including yours. You see, I saw something in his mind that deeply troubled me. It was some sort of corruption, and it wasn't natural. His mental state has been continually deteriorating, to the point where he may be nearing insanity."

The Orc then began pacing back and forth across the room. "While I can't be certain what he hopes to achieve, at this point the Order is done for, without a doubt. The Legion may still be stable at the moment, but it will only be a matter of time until it crumbles as well, once..."

"That's the plan. Brother and I have been alive much longer than you, so let me give you a little advice."

"What? Wait a second... You shouldn't even be able to talk!"

The Gray Fox spun around to face his former captive, only to receive a dagger to the chest. He staggered back, then fell as the lightning coursed through his body.

"Never turn away from a captive, especially one as powerful as me."

Alexia turned to leave, but a groan behind her stopped her. "Not again."

"Did you think you could kill the Gray Fox, girl? As long as this mask if intact, the Gray Fox will never die."

Alexia turned back around to face a barely standing Gray Fox. He was teetering and looked like he was about to fall over again, but he was still alive.

"What is it with you annoying bugs refusing to die today!"

---------------

Dro'shanji roundhouse kicked another Order soldier, knocking him to the ground. He quickly turned and made a series of rapid punches to another soldier's chest, ending with a chop to the neck. Beside him, Aurrus slit the throat of a elite Order soldier, then threw his last dagger at another elite preparing to shoot his bow at them. It hit the soldier in the face, and though it killed him, he still got the arrow off. The arrow hit Aurrus in the arm, knocking him off balance and making him stumble backwards. Another soldier with a longsword closed in on Aurrus for the kill, but Aurrus, out of desperation, released all his remaining magicka in a burst of freezing ice all around him. Five Order soldiers froze in mid-movement.

Meanwhile, Roland was beginning to regain consciousness. As he shook his head to clear the stars dancing in his eyes, he noticed a set of feet in front of him. Looking up, he saw an Order soldier standing above him, his claymore raised. As he brought it down to impale him, a lone arrow whistled through the air, seemingly coming from nowhere, and hit him in the back of the head. Roland looked around for his savior, but saw no one. He supposed it must have been a Legion archer that had unknowingly saved him. Although Roland had no idea how low the chances of that happening were, he did know that he must have serious luck on his side. That luck only lasted for another moment however, as someone hit him in the back of the head yet again, this time knocking him out for the rest of the battle.

---------------

Vilyn rushed down the corridor, dodging arrows and spells as he ran for his life. After nearly five minutes of running, he hit a dead end. He quickly opened the giant steel doors and went inside just as an arrow hit where his back had been before. He closed the door behind him and sealed it shut, putting his Dai-katana into the door handles to prevent the Order soldiers from coming in after him.

When he turned around, he saw something that amazed him. In the middle of a well lit room, there was a small section in the middle that was pitch black. There was a slight red glow in the very middle of that darkness, and as Vilyn's eyes became adjusted to the strange light in the room, he saw that it was a red stone. As he approached the darkness, entranced, he began hearing whispers.

_Is it someone new?_

_Why do you come here?_

_What is your purpose?_

_Who do you serve?_

_Can you set us free?_

_Will you set us free?_

Vilyn, overpowered by the whispers in his mind, drew a dagger from his boot and reached out towards the darkness. When his hand entered the shadows, he felt a terrible, searing pain in his arm. He pulled his arm back, and when he looked at it, he discovered it had gone completely gray. He looked, horrified, at his arm, then back at the stone. He backed up a few feet, raised the dagger, took aim, and threw. The dagger spun in the air until it just barely hit the stone. However, it was enough to knock it out of place, and it tumbled out of the shadows and hit the floor. As soon as it was no longer protected by the darkness, it shattered, and a terrible screaming filled the air. He rushed back to the door and pulled his Dai-katana out of place, holding it in front of him like it would protect him. A moment later, thousands of spirits flew out of the darkness just as the soldiers rushed in. The spirits flew through the bodies of the soldiers, and they fell over, dead. The last remnants of the shattered stone began to dissolve, and as they did, powerful bursts of energy knocked Vilyn to the floor. As he struggled to rise, dozens of red flashes blinded him, and then everything turned black.

---------------

As Alexia advanced towards the Gray Fox with a dagger in her hands, he turned and stumbled away, toppling to the ground after a few steps.

"I swear on my life that I'll slit your throat this time, thief."

The Orc slowly crawled away as Alexia walked after him, quickly gaining on the injured thief. A few seconds later, Alexia placed a foot on his back, keeping him in place. She then kneeled down behind him, placing the dagger under his throat.

"Do you have any last words, Orc?"

"No... Oh wait, that was a word wasn't it?"

Alexia's eye twitched again as she pulled upwards, spilling the Orc's blood on the stone. When he died, his outstretched hand glowed with power for only a split second, but it was enough for him to shoot off a fire spell into the darkness. Alexia looked up just in time to see the fire spell hit a small box in the corner of the room, which exploded in a pillar of smoke and flames. Alexia was knocked to the ground by the force of it, and the portions of the ceiling began to fall from the explosion. As she got up, she attempted to teleport away, but found that she couldn't. She tried over and over again, but nothing happened. She screamed in frustration as the room collapsed around her. She simply couldn't believe that this, of all things, would be how she would die. As the ceiling directly over her collapsed and a massive stone slab came plummeting downwards, she whispered something barely audible.

"Brother... Save me..."

---------------

Claudius watched with satisfaction as the stone men crumbled around him. He had come closer to death in that engagement than any other, sustaining minor injuries and exhausting quite a bit of power, even having to draw on the gems for aid. However, he was saved the trouble of destroying them all when they all simply stopped moving in mid-action and then turned to dust. If Claudius had to guess, he would say that the stone had been destroyed, as he knew that Rasien drew a large amount of power from it. Claudius would have used it himself, but he had no wish to get involved in the things necessary for power over it.

The stone shield around Rasien collapsed and he looked frailer than ever. He fell back into his chair, completely exhausted. Claudius smirked, and began to gather flames in his left hand, when he staggered backwards. The gathering flames extinguished, and he looked like he was going to be ill.

"Alexia..."

Rasien gave a tired laugh as he stared at Claudius. "So she died did she? She gets what she deserves then. Filthy traitors, both of you. I bet it was Berich that killed her. Soon he'll come for you too, and then it will all be over. I might not live to see it, but I will be watching from Aetherius, and I will be overjoyed when he kills you. I can't even imagine the sort of death he has in store for you. No matter what it is, it will still be too good for you. I bet that sister of yours didn't even feel any pain. Perhaps even more than you, she deserved an agonizing death."

"SILENCE!" Claudius roared, his hands bursting into flames again.

"Kill me then. My time is over anyway. But it won't save you and it certainly won't help that pathetic excuse for a sister of yours. Oh, excuse me, that dead, pathetic excuse for a sister of yours."

Claudius screamed in rage and unleashed a massive amount of power at Rasien, completely incinerating that half of the room. There was nothing left. Half the room, including all the equipment, papers, and scattered experiments were gone, leaving nothing but the ground which was completely melted and glowed a bright red. Claudius screamed again and unleashed fire indiscriminately in random directions, melting walls, bookcases, and the few lab assistants that had remained in Rasien's lab to watch the battle. It took him nearly five minutes to calm down. When he did, the entire lab and surrounding rooms were nothing but melted ruins. He walked over to where Rasien's corpse would have been and held his hand over the ground. A moment later, another gem broke through the melted floor. Claudius grasped it and, using it's power instead of the now destroyed stone they had been using, teleported away from Gardenhall.

---------------

After a few dazed moments, Aurrus found himself on the ground with a blade to his neck. Just as the Order soldier was about to execute him, something very strange happened. Red lights began flashing all around, and beings made of pure light flew through the air. The soldier dropped his sword and looked up, just as one of the beings flew downwards into him. The soldier stiffened and went completely still, then blinked.

"Where... Where am I? Who are you? And what in Oblivion happened here?"

Aurrus stared open-mouthed at the man who had, until just a moment ago, been going to kill him. All around, the same thing was happening to the majority of the Order soldiers, and they quickly discarded their cloaks and surrendered. Some of them even attacked the true soldiers of the Order, perhaps retaining some memory of what they had gone through. For the most part though, they were all very confused and had no idea what was going on. Aurrus got up from the ground and walked over, still slightly dizzy, to what was now a growing crowd. In the center of it stood the Champion, and at his feet, the corpse of the enemy commander. The soldiers cheered, thinking that his victory had somehow freed the souls of the slave-soldiers.

---------------

Yet again, Roland slowly regained consciousness, but when he tried to get back to his feet, he found a rather heavy weight on his back. At first he was going to assume it was another corpse, but a voice soon proved otherwise.

"Honestly, Breton, would it kill you to pay attention to your surroundings? How many times have I saved you now? Three, four? Annoying, annoying Breton. From here on out, you're not leaving Dro'shanji's sight."

"Yes, and I'm very grateful for that and all, but would it kill you to use my actual name? I do have one, you know."

"Hmph. Yes, actually it would. Now get up Breton, there's still another battle ahead, though how Dro'shanji got pulled into this mess in the first place, Dro'shanji does not know. Dro'shanji blames that Aurrus. Dark Brotherhood members always have to cause trouble."

"Wait, so you'll call this guy by his name, but not me?"

"I'm glad you understand, Breton."

---------------

Berich looked on in shock as his army was routed by the Legion.

"What... How... Impossible! Someone destroyed the stone!"

Berich jerked his head to the right as a brilliant flash of blue light appeared beside him. It was Claudius.

"You did this! Everyone else is dead, so it had to be you!"

"No, actually I didn't destroy the stone. It simply happened, though it was fortunate that it happened when it did."

"What did you do!"

"I paved the way for a new dawn, of course."

Claudius turned to face Selena, who was now looking between him and Berich with worry in her eyes.

"What's going on?"

"Not much. I'm just about to kill Berich, that's all."

Claudius whipped around and shot a stream of blue fire at the cloaked figure, who immediatly raised his hands in front of his face. The fire was seemingly deflected off to the side, but he was still pushed back nearly thirty feet along the wall. Before Berich could recover, Claudius turned back to Selena.

"Listen to me. Everything Berich has told you has been a lie. The Gods no longer care about balance in this world. The Aedra have forsaken it and the Daedra have been banned from it by the destruction of the Amulet of Kings. Nothing can interfere with this world anymore. Berich was right on one thing, this world is hopelessly corrupt, and it must still be cleansed, but nothing further than that must be done. After this, there will be no more purges, no more mass slaughters, no more dead civilizations. But I can't kill Berich, at least not alone. In order to defeat him, you have to help me. Will you?"

"But... What if you're lying too?"

Before Claudius could respond, Berich shot a beam of pure energy at him, which seemingly glowed black and white at the same time. It exploded next to him, sending him flying off the wall and nearly knocking Selena off as well, but Berich easily caught her before she fell.

"Don't listen to Claudius. He seeks to deceive you. I don't know what his goals are, but they are not to save anything. He must have been preparing for this the entire time. Certainly too long to foresee you entering the picture. He just wants to use you to gain more power."

"Ha! I don't need the girl to gain power, Berich. I have all the power I need!"

Claudius floated up above them and rained down fire towards Berich and Selena. Berich leaped backwards, his cloak flying off in the process, revealing a glimmering silverish armor underneath. It was very intricately worked, and had many runes and letters inscribed on it.

Selena screamed as the fire came down towards her, but it changed direction at the last moment, heading after Berich. Selena looked up, wide eyed, to see Claudius waving one hand about like he was conducting an orchestra. The fire moved to his hand movements, tracking Berich all across the walls as he continued to leap back and forth. Many of the soldiers on the battlefield noticed this, and pointed towards the strange looking event.

Eventually, Berich countered by shooting his own balls of energy, which collided with the fire in mid-flight, causing a massive explosion in the air above Skingrad. Before Berich could close on Claudius, he landed near Selena and scooped her up, then leaped off the city wall, soaring towards the countryside.

**A/N:** _We're very close to the finale here, folks! But before that, more side stories! You know you love them. I would like to credit the whole thing with the arrow and Roland to Atom 68. He knows what I mean... _

_Now, these events are all taking place in roughly the same time period, probably somewhere around the course of three hours. I wrote the first part yesterday and the second today, so if there's anything I messed up that might be confusing, please tell me and I'll do my best to explain it._


	21. Side Story 6: Caius

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Six: Caius_

As the council meeting ended, Caius found himself alone. Everyone else had already left, just leaving him in the intimidating room. He remembered the first time he had come in here, how overwhelming it had been, being in the presence of the Master himself and the entire Council of Roses. It had been a turning point in his life, what had transformed him from the typical rank and file soldier into the Lord that he was today. Caius got up from his seat and walked to one end of the room, and drew his sword, staring at it. It had been his father's sword, passed down through the generations of soldiers to serve the Order. Caius's family was well respected with the lower ranks of the Order, and had been there almost since the beginning. In all that time, Caius was the first to ever achieve the rank of Lord.

He could only imagine how proud his father would be were he still alive. He had always quested after that position, always trying his hardest to bring honor to his family. But he had never achieved it, much to the disappointment of all around him. Nevertheless, he had brought some small amount of honor to his family by dying in combat at the end of the Akavir campaign, that had taken so much from the Order. Massive casualties and destruction of irreplaceable equipment had scarred the Order's armies like it never had before. Only the interference of the Council of Roses had allowed them victory. It was rather strange, since the Council members almost never took the field in combat, but it had been necessary to salvage the war. Now Akavir was cleansed, and only a crippled Cyrodiil remained. Surely they wouldn't be able to offer much resistance?

Whatever the case, Caius planned to make the best of it. He would finally be able to lead his own army, and he would bring great honor to his family by crushing the Imperials. Or so he hoped. Even now, with everything progressing as planned, the Master still hadn't given him any important tasks. Obviously he didn't trust him with anything important yet, but how would he be able to prove anything to him if he wasn't given anything important? It would seem that he would simply have to excel so much at the task he was given that the Master would finally trust his abilities.

Caius began going through the forms, swinging his sword to the right then the left as he fought an invisible opponent. This sword represented everything he was as a soldier. It was the legacy of his family and the only thing he had to call his own. He had been raised a soldier and all he knew how to do was fight. He had no future except as a warrior. His family had no future except for fighting. He continued going through the forms, until a flash of light lit the room. It was Darnmon.

"What do you want, Darnmon?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh? And what could you possibly want from me?"

"I just wanted to know if you knew what Claudius was up to, sneaking around like he was earlier."

"Was he? I hadn't noticed."

"Gods man, do you not pay attention to anything? He's been trying to avoid everyone all day, even Berich. I've asked everyone already except for Alexia, because I'm honestly afraid to ask her anything, so do you know what he's up to?"

"No, and quite frankly, I don't care. Nothing he does has anything to do with me, so why should I? Now go away, I'm busy."

Darnmon growled and rushed forward, grabbing Caius by his neck.

"Now you listen to me you arrogant little twit. You _will _respect your superiors, and I'm superior to you in nearly every way. Let me give you some advice. All Claudius does is cause trouble for everyone, apparently with Berich's consent. One day, he's going to do something that will shake the Order to it's core, and if you don't start caring and pick a side, things will go very badly for you. So let me ask you now. Who's side will you be on, the one that spreads chaos, or the one that will bring order?"

Caius headbutted the Dunmer, then stabbed him in the leg with his sword. Darnmon fell over holding his leg as Caius stood over him. "I'll join whichever side looks the most promising, if and when that day comes. But I have to say, Darnmon, if you couldn't even counter that simple of a blow, your chances don't look very good. Now stop bothering me. Unlike you, I actually have work to attend to. Even if all that work is is trying to catch some miserable thief."

Caius then teleported away, leaving a very angry Dunmer on the ground in pain.

**A/N: **_And here's __Caius's__ side story, by far the shortest one yet. I actually had no idea what to write for this until I remembered this little part. I was actually going to put this into one of the chapters and, looking back, I have no idea why I didn't, but here it is regardless._


	22. Side Story 7: Aleron

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Seven: Aleron_

Aleron was far from the model lieutenant. He was stubborn, arrogant, chaotic, and would often simply ignore his superiors if he didn't like their orders. This, of course, leads to a very important question. How could he possibly have made it so far? The answer is that he was Malinus's lieutenant, and these traits were things that Malinus himself shared. Among the Order, Malinus was regarded highly, but with a certain amount of caution. Simply put, the man was completely unpredictable; likely to support something one day, then want it gone the next, simply because it no longer proved interesting to him. Aleron was much the same way, and the fact that Aleron's father had long been Malinus's lieutenant probably had something to do with it as well.

Aleron's skills were well regarded too, and this was another reason why Berich hadn't had him executed for treason yet. He was an excellent tracker, second only to Alexia, who often couldn't be bothered to do anything of importance, despite her claims that she was always bored. Indeed, all she wanted to do was stay in Gardenhall and cause trouble with the lower ranks, often toying with their emotions for her own amusement, something Aleron found particularly funny. For the most part, nearly everyone got along with Aleron, at least until they tried ordering him around. The only exception to this was Darnmon. The Dunmer was always in a permanent bad mood, it seemed, and he hated practically everyone around him, except for Berich who he would gladly fling himself off a cliff for, or at least so he claimed. But that was okay, because everyone hated the Dunmer anyway.

Another who didn't particularly like him was Rasien. Out of everyone on the Council of Roses, Rasien was the one who had changed the least since his creation, and still maintained a careful balance. He hated change, and Malinus, and by extension Aleron, embodied that. While he never showed any outward hostility, it was rather obvious that he had an intense dislike for him.

Other than that, he got along fine with everyone. Lord Sareth, Caius's lord, he almost never saw, for the man liked to keep to himself. Joran was much the same way, but was remarkably quiet when they did happen to be in the same room. Riev didn't seem to particularly care about him, but Aleron enjoyed making the occasional joke at the old man's expense. Claudius seemed to like him, even going so far as to actually compliment him after completing a hard mission, something he did vary rarely to anyone. He and Alexia got along quite well during the few missions they had been assigned together, mostly because he was one of the few people that actually appreciated her dark sense of humor. Berich himself seemed indifferent, but he was with everyone.

All in all, things were going well for the aspiring young lieutenant, and it wouldn't be long until he got an unexpected promotion.

---------------

Aleron had been assigned another mission with Alexia, to track down and eliminate a traitor to the Order. Aleron had no idea who it might be, but then he didn't care. All he cared about was that he was finally out of the stuffy and foreboding tunnels of Gardenhall. _You would think a place with garden in the name would look better, but no, it has to be all dark and dreary. I'd be willing to bet Rasien and Claudius planned the place intentionally like that, just to get people lost. I mean, I know we're a secret organization and all, but should it really be so hard to get around that even the members get lost? That just seems a bit extreme to me. Not that I wouldn't mind a particular red eyed member of the Order getting lost, but still._

Aleron glanced over to Alexia, and noticed that she seemed to be smirking a little more than normal. Which was saying something.

"Hey Alexia, who exactly is this traitor we're going after?"

"That'd be Lord Sareth. He must have finally lost it, cause he went off on the Master then teleported away. I gotta admit, it really takes something to do what he did. Shame we have to kill him, he might actually have provided me with some amusement."

"More than endlessly torturing Darnmon?"

"Much more."

"Well then, this should be fun."

---------------

Aleron crept along behind Alexia as they made their was through the darkness of the cave Sareth now called home. _So much for getting away from the dark and dreary environments. Honestly, when someone turns traitor and insults one of the most powerful people on the planet, can't he at least have the decency to provide a nice looking city or something for the people coming to kill him? It would figure that one of the few times I get to leave Gardenhall that I end up in some cave._

Alexia paused before turning a corner. Just a slight amount of light was visible from their position, but it was enough for them to know he was here. All of a sudden, Alexia disappeared from in front of him, and the sounds of a scuffle could be heard. Aleron ran around the corner just as the ceiling of the cave fell right in front of him. Annoyed, he simply teleported past the rubble, but he had already missed the fight. Sareth was already on the ground with Alexia on top of him, and she held a dagger to his neck. She leaned down and whispered something in his ear, then slit his throat. His head fell to the side, and Aleron noticed a faint red glow to them, before it disappeared and his eyes regained their normal color. Confused, Aleron walked up behind Alexia and stared at the corpse. Alexia hadn't moved, and was staring at him as well.

"I thought you said he would be amusing?"

"I said he might."

"Well couldn't you have at least let me watch?"

"There was nothing to watch."

"There's always something to watch with you, Alexia. What's going on?"

"Nothing at all, Aleron. Let's just go. I have a report to make."

---------------

Aleron stood before Berich as he delivered his report on what had happened with Sareth.

"Very well then. You are hereby promoted to Sareth's old position. Congratulations."

"What? Why?"

"Because Alexia has and continues to give you glowing reviews. I don't know what you did to impress her, but I certainly hope it continues. Dismissed."

Aleron turned and walked out of the room, passing Caius as he entered. He had a smirk on his face, but Aleron would be willing to bet that it wouldn't last much longer. Traditionally, the title of Lord was given to the former lord's most able bodied lieutenant, which in this case had been Caius. Aleron had a sinking feeling that he had made an enemy today. At the same time though, he wondered just why Alexia had been as kind as she had. It certainly wasn't normal for her. As a matter of fact, when they had returned from their mission, she had gone to see Claudius first before Berich. That also confused him. Why would she go to see Claudius? He had had nothing to do with this. Or had he? Aleron remembered Sareth's eyes and couldn't help but wonder.

**A/N:** _Aleron's is all done. I had originally intended for him to have a much bigger role than he did, but I unfortunately didn't have the time. Plus, I kinda forgot about him for a while. Hey, I have to manage a lot of characters here, I can afford to miss one here and there! Okay, so that's just an excuse, and not a very good one at that, but still. I sadly have no other defense..._


	23. Side Story 8: Alexia

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Eight: Alexia_

Alexia walked into her brother's room and sat down casually in one of his rather comfortable leather chairs. She crossed her legs as he looked up from his paperwork with an uninterested look on his face.

"I take it Sareth is dead?"

"Of course. Did you doubt me?"

"Not in the least dear sister. And Aleron?"

"On his way to a promotion."

"Good, good. The longer we keep that fool Caius from power, the easier things will be."

"Have plans for his seat, do you?"

"Quite a few."

"Must you always cause trouble for the unfortunate lieutenants? All he wants is honor for his family. I can already imagine him breaking down in a fit when he learns Aleron took his position. Please." Alexia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hmm. That is the point. The less time he has in a position of power, the less time he has to prepare for the drastic change in mission types. As it is now, all he understands is brute force. He has no sense for subtleties. Once he gets promoted, I'll have Berich give him the most aggravating mission possible for him, as a test of his abilities of course. When the war finally gets underway, Berich will be far less tolerant of failure, and I have quite the failure in plan for him."

"You have failure in plan for everyone."

"That's hardly the point, sister. Caius is important, because he will be the first step. Well not the first step, but he's close enough to it to warrant attention."

"The poor fool will never see it coming."

"That's what he gets for never paying attention. If it were, say, Joran or Riev I was trying to set up, I'm sure they would figure that something wasn't right. But Caius has never been good with small details. He'll most likely get the death sentence for his failure, lining things up for Lucius to replace him."

"Speaking of which, where is that man?"

"Out watching his daughter, I imagine. He seems to do that a lot."

"Why do you let him? Isn't that dangerous, risking exposure like that?"

"Lucius is no amateur. He's a trained soldier and a very good operative. There won't be any problems so long as he maintains his self-control. I do worry about him sometimes though. His heart simply doesn't seem to be in it anymore."

"Why not replace him with Orson then? I like him more anyway, he's cute."

Claudius looked up at his sister and raised an eyebrow, but she just shrugged.

"I don't think he's your type, Alexia. He's broods too much."

"And how would you know what my type is?"

Claudius gave an exasperated sigh before looking back up at her. "How exactly did we get to this conversation? Never mind. Orson is a fine soldier, but I don't trust him to hold himself together. I'm afraid he might fall to pieces any time, especially since the incident with Lucius in Skyrim. He needs a lot of attention payed to him, something I simply can't afford when I have a much more obvious choice right in front of me."

"But Lucius is just so... So... Boring! He never talks, he always has the same exact look on his face, he follows every single rule. He's like you."

Claudius gave a mock look of offense at his sister's last comment.

"And what's wrong with me?"

"A lot of things, dear brother, a lot of things."

Claudius scowled, but went back to work.

"Anyway, Lucius may be boring, but he will get the job done, and very efficiently at that. Now all we have to worry about is Darnmon. The blasted Dunmer's been snooping again, and I'm getting tired of wiping his mind so many times. I may eventually just kill him, even if Berich does consider him something of a pet."

"I could always go have some fun with him. That ought to distract him from you."

"There's no need for violence just yet. He'll die eventually anyway, and he may have some use yet."

"What about Rasien?"

"The old man's too nosy for his own good, and I can't exactly wipe his mind like I could with Darnmon. It's only the fact that the rules prevent it that he hasn't barged in here and demanded an answer from me yet. Thank the Gods for the rules. They dictate everything he does in his life, and I imagine him breaking them, even to come after me, would be akin to mental suicide for him."

"Any other problems?"

"None as of this moment. Aleron will take power, Riev, Lucius, and Orson are carrying out their orders, Malinus couldn't care less about politics as always, Rasien is restricted, Joran only listens to Berich, and Berich himself is completely unaware."

"..."

Claudius looked up to see his sister staring at him, with a frown on her face. "What is it?"

"I can't claim to fully grasp the scope of your plans, but I think I understand what the outcome will be, and I have to ask, what will happen to us? I've been thinking about it, and as boring as this miserable world is, and as unamusing as the people on it are, I don't want to leave. I don't want to die."

Claudius raised an eyebrow at his sister as she continued on, a tinge of uncertainty touching her voice. "As boring as everything here is, there's always the element of randomness to spice everything up once in a while. It may not be much, but it's those moments that make life worth living for me. If I didn't have them, I probably would have gone insane by now. But in the Aetherius, everything is always the same, never changing for all time. We'll never be reborn, Claudius, we'll stay there with the powers above. I don't want that. It might be wonderful for someone like Rasien, but it'd be torture for me. I want to continue living on this world, even if the Order fades away. I... I really don't want to die. I don't want to experience that pain, that torture."

"Alexia..."

"But more than that, I don't want you to die. At least if we were to continue existing here, I'd have you for company. But if I die, then I'll be in Aetherius and you'll be down here. And when you die, you know you won't be allowed access. If you were, then an eternity in that boring place might be manageable, but you won't be. I wouldn't be able to stand that. I'd lose everything that made life worthwhile. After all, you're the one that makes everything interesting for me."

Alexia looked like she was close to tears at the thought of an eternity alone. Claudius frowned and got up, then walked over to his sister. He pulled her up out of her chair and hugged her, then whispered something in her ear.

"There, there sister. You won't ever be alone. Neither of us will die, you'll see. My plan will be flawless as always, and we'll be here forever to watch over a new world. I would never leave you alone."

"Thank you brother. It's reassuring to hear you say that..."

As Claudius held her, Alexia, for once, had a genuine smile on her face. Claudius had a deep frown on his, but Alexia could not see it. Deep down, he knew his words were all lies.

**A/N:** _I'd like to note something here. Claudius and Alexia aren't truly brother and sister, since they were created and not born. However, they were created at exactly the same time in the same place, giving them a special sort of bond that I would attribute to causing a sister-brother sort of relationship. I would also like to note that killing Alexia left me with some regr__et__, as I had wanted to do more with her character, but she ended up sort of cliched, which isn't what I had wanted at all. I wanted to show more of her character, but simply couldn't figure out a way to do so. I hope this gives a better explanation of what I had originally intended her character to be like, and I will be using her in my prequel for certain, if only to try and develop her character a little more._


	24. Side Story 9: Rasien

**Disclaimer: **_I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Nine: Rasien_

Rasien moved through the corridors of Gardenhall, passing crowds of people as they went on their way to their various jobs. Gardenhall was crowded these days, with the latest cleansing resulting in an influx of initiates to the Order. This one had been easier than most. It was almost as if the people had become sick of their existence and laid down to die, which Rasien could understand. He continued down the hall, drawing the glance of many of the initiates on their way to their induction ceremony. Rasien passed them, on his way to his labs for a few last, vital moments of research.

While it was important that every member of the Council be present for the induction ceremony, he still had some time before it would take place, and this research was very important. He would still have to attend of course, but he would spend every spare moment at his lab until then. For once, Rasien wouldn't be early.

---------------

Rasien glanced at his notes one last time before reaching into the darkness and grasping the stone. He pulled it off of it's pedestal and stared at it for a moment. While from a distance it might give the impression of a solid ruby, up close it was transparent, and obviously hollow. He watched as strange, almost liquid like forms moved around inside the stone, and he could hear their whispers in his mind. Rasien ignored them, and placed the stone back onto it's pedestal, taking a few more notes. He could feel the danger emanating from the darkness threatening to take his soul and turn his body into a empty corpse, but Rasien was well protected from it. He had designed it, after all.

He could sense a set of yellow eyes watching the back of his head, and turned to see one of the grotesque creatures staring at him. The creatures were no mystery to Rasien, though they didn't have a name as of yet. They weren't very numerous, just a few dozen right now, but Rasien knew their numbers would soon skyrocket. While Berich might be unsure of what the creatures were or how they were created, Rasien knew. It was simply that he was too afraid to admit it. They were after all, a side effect of the stone, and a very nasty one at that. And since the stone was his creation, the creatures would be labeled as his fault. And what a major fault they were.

These creatures were the bodies left over from when a soul was taken from their bodies, if the soul was extinguished before the body died. This could happen in a number of ways, but the most common was teleportation. The teleportation system used by the Order, again designed by Rasien, worked by taking a small amount of the soul from the person being teleported, easily enough for the soul to fix itself later. However, this was not nearly enough power to cause teleportation. In addition to that small amount, another soul was sacrificed, allowing the user to have enough power for teleportation. Each teleportation requires more than one soul to work, and this was something that stumped Rasien for some time, because as things stood then, teleportation would kill the person being teleported.

So Rasien came up with a clever solution, and one that no one would recognize. He used the stone, under orders from Berich, to seal away the souls of people captured in combat. These soulless people would then form the backbone of the army of the Order. They were unable to feel fear, and would fight until either they were dead or the enemy was. The perfect soldier, even if they were incapable of creative thought. However, unknown to Berich the stone would also serve as a reservoir of power, each soul giving off enough power to enable teleportation, thus making it possible to teleport someone without killing them in the process. The downside, which Rasien had not imagined, was what would happen to the bodies. After the loss of their soul, the bodies mutated and formed a rudimentary brain, allowing them the basic thoughts of survival: eat, sleep, etc.

These creatures seemed to have strange abilities as well. The ability to disappear at will and pass through solid objects being a few. Under normal circumstances, Rasien would probably call them ghosts, but they definitely had solid bodies. Although they normally kept to themselves, they did occasionally become violent, and the attacks that came after such occasions were usually very... Messy.

Ever since discovering this, Rasien had been looking for a way to kill them, or if not that, control them. The opposite seemed to be happening. As time passed, more and more of the creatures seemed to be forming, yet for some reason, only a few were ever seen. This seemed ominous to Rasien, as this might hint that they were escaping into the outside world. Though they stayed away from populated areas at the moment, if they were for some reason to conquer that fear, the results would be disastrous, especially since there was no apparent way to harm them. Things continually went from bad to worse however, as Rasien learned that the stone had an area effect. For some reason, anyone who died within a certain distance of the stone would have their soul sucked into it instead of going to Aetherius. It was hard to determine what kind of range the stone had, but it was substantial. No one else had caught on to this yet, and that was probably fortunate for Rasien. If Berich were ever to learn just how far out of hand things had gotten, the punishment would be very severe.

The only way to solve this problem would be to destroy the stone itself, but that was unacceptable, since so much now relied upon it. In essence, there was no way out of this problem. The only thing Rasien could do was carry onwards with his experiments, with the hope that one day they would yield results.

Rasien motioned with one hand, and the ceiling dropped down on top of the creature, but it simply stepped through it, unfazed. Rasien frowned, then went back to studying the stone. When he turned back around the creature was gone, yet Rasien still had the feeling that he was being watched. This feeling would remain with him for the rest of his life.

---------------

Rasien teleported into his seat in the Induction Hall, watching as the room filled with people. Some of the older members were teleporting in, though Rasien was the only one aware that each flash of red light meant the death of a soul.

Malinus stood in front of the crowd of assembled initiates, and made a nice, long speech about how important their loyalty and service was, and how proud he was to see them all become full members. Rasein rolled his eyes. Malinus had given this exact same speech, word for word, at least a dozen times now. Not a word of it was true. He wasn't proud of them, and they didn't matter. They were simply there to sacrifice their lives so that the people in higher positions of power wouldn't have to do any work. A sad truth, but still a truth.

The new soldiers saluted and Malinus turned and bowed to Berich as he rose from his seat and waved his hand. Around each person, a blue cloak flashed into existence. Rasien winced, aware that each teleportation was the death of another soul. The soldiers marveled at the trick, despite having seen it done many times before. Berich sat back down and said something to Claudius, who sat at his left. Rasien didn't hear what he had said, but he assumed it was something important, because Claudius immediately teleported away.

Claudius had always been a strange one to Rasien. Ever since their creation, he and Alexia had always been a bit strange. They followed the rules, yes, and they acted very proper in front of Berich most of the time, but there was something about them that didn't seem right. Alexia was more obvious. As a being created by the Aedra, she seemed excessively violent and prone to outbursts. It sometimes made Rasien wonder if she hadn't actually been created by the Daedra instead. Claudius was trickier. He was very careful about covering his tracks, but occasionally he would leave something of importance behind. Of course, nothing he had found made sense to Rasien, but he could tell a man with a plan when he saw one. Claudius was the one that needed to be watched the most. Not that he could tell Berich this, as much as he respected Claudius. If forced to choose, he would probably save Claudius's life over anyone else here.

In Rasien's opinion, Claudius was very much like the Webspinner, Mephala. Always weaving an intricate web of plans, spanning the centuries, headed towards a goal that only he could see. He was extremely dangerous, especially in combination with his sister, who was quite possibly the fastest and most powerful in direct combat of them all. A very interesting combination they were, but one that was almost invincible. As Rasien thought more on the matter, he began to wonder. Was Claudius truly like Mephala, or was he perhaps instead the much more dangerous Boethiah? Only time would tell.

**A/N****:** _In all honesty, this side story was more for tying up loose ends than it was for Rasien, but I think it does give at least some insight into him, and it definitely serves as part of his backstory._


	25. Side Story 10: The Gray Fox

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Ten: The Gray Fox_

A red flash of light lit up the small cottage where the Gray Fox had currently taken up residence. It was out in the middle of nowhere, far from nearly every city in Cyrodiil, but that's what the Gray Fox preferred. Nice and isolated. The master thief hadn't been doing all that much recently. The theft of an experimental weapon here, the disappearance of a fortunes worth of designer clothes there, but nothing truly worthy of making headlines all around the world. No, his predecessor had already pulled off the crime of the era, and the current Gray Fox doubted he could match it without stealing the clothes off of the Chancellor himself. Which he had tried. And unfortunately failed.

So instead, the Gray Fox had taken it upon himself to do a little investigating, sending his small army of thieves all across Tamriel so that he could solve every mystery possible. After all, the only thing the Gray Fox likes more than stealing is puzzles.

One particular puzzle kept bugging him though. All around the world, there were rare incidents of people disappearing. It was usually written off as a simple murder or kidnapping, but there was always something strange about each case. Each time, the person disappeared from their homes, and each time, the neighbors wouldn't remember a thing from that entire day. This was naturally taken as an admission of guilt from the slightly overzealous authorities, and the neighbor was then jailed. But there were other things that didn't make sense. The doors of the homes were still locked when the authorities arrived, there was never any sign of a struggle, and sometimes, passerbys might notice a strange flash of light from inside the house while they were walking by late at night. This was usually also taken as an excuse, and the person reporting such things was usually hauled in for questioning by the authorities.

However, there was, among these rare crimes, an even rarer event. Occasionally, the person arrested for the crime would remember things. Nothing important usually, but vague images, like colors. And the two colors most reported were red and blue. No one could explain this, and simply assumed the prisoners were insane or making things up. However, the Gray Fox had often taken it upon himself to break into the prisons where these people were being held so he could question them himself. It normally led to nothing, and some of the people actually were just making things up, but there was definitely something wrong with the majority of these cases.

Now, the Gray Fox obviously wasn't a law abiding citizen of the Empire, and didn't particularly care about the crimes or the victims, but he did want to understand why and how these things were happening, but more importantly, he wanted to know who was behind it. After all, it's always a good thing to know your potential enemies, and the Gray Fox saw the person abducting these people from their homes to be an enemy. Mostly because some of these people were actually members of the Thieves Guild.

That was something else these disappearances had in common. Each person was someone of importance, whether they be the leading alchemist of the Mage's Guild in a town, a spy for the Empire, a Dark Brotherhood assassin, or a Daedra worshipper, there was something unique about them all. How the disappearances fit together the Gray Fox didn't know, but that was something else he was determined to figure out.

At this point, he was growing desperate though. The disappearances had ceased several months ago, and the people in jail were now dying under unusual circumstances. Those that didn't were executed for their crimes, drying up all of the Gray Fox's leads. Therefore, it was quite the surprise when a man in a blue cloak suddenly appeared before him.

"You've been snooping. I don't like nosy people."

"Ah ha! You're the one responsible for all the disappearances, aren't you?"

"Your perception skills dazzle me... Who else would I be? I just teleported into your room, using one color described to you and wearing the other. You'd have to be a complete moron to not realize it."

"Don't you think it's a bit cliche though? The whole thing with silencing all the witnesses and then coming here with that line trying to be all dramatic and scary? I'm the Gray Fox, nothing can be more dramatic than me! Though I do think you accomplish the scary part quite well."

"So you are a moron. What did I expect from an Orc?"

"Hey now, that was unnecessary. If I were a moron, would I have been able to see the connection between your crimes?"

"So you're a gifted and well traveled moron."

"No, I'm the Gray Fox! Now I simply must ask, how did you accomplish all this?"

"You're not going to lecture me about morals, or ask what my goals are?"

"No, I'd simply like to have a discussion about how you've done all this. Teleportation like that would be oh so very useful."

"Another time, Orc. For now, you simply need to sleep."

"But I'm not..."

Claudius reached forward placed his hand on top of the Gray Fox's head, and he slumped in his chair, then fell to the floor. Claudius smirked after a few moments, knowing that his mind wipe was complete. Berich may have ordered no interference with the Gray Fox yet, but Claudius thought it would be beneficial to all to simply stop him here. Tomorrow morning, he would wake up with the sudden desire to rob Count Hassildor blind, and everything about the disappearances would be forgotten. Claudius then teleported away, leaving the Gray Fox to drool on the floor.

---------------

The mind of the Gray Fox was chaos as it struggled to comprehend the mass amount of knowledge. Instead of making him forget, like Claudius had planned, the Gray Fox had instead gained many of his memories, due to the unstable nature of the Daedric artifact he wore at all times. The mask had altered the spell before it took effect, and now the Gray Fox was unconscious. His mind however, was now understanding things as it never had before.

The disappearances were not murders, but conscription. The Order of the Blue Rose was seizing them because they needed people with a certain amount of willpower to serve in their army. These people would be the troops of the Order, because despite having no soul, they would still be able to function properly once given instructions. While they could simply use random people, if their willpower wasn't high enough, they'd be much less effective.

Their plan was to destroy the Empire, and indeed, all life, in order to clear the way for a new generation. But Claudius's plans went beyond that. He wanted to destroy the Order and the Empire both, to gain power in order to do... Something. The Gray Fox, couldn't understand what he wanted to do, because then the images of his mind became fuzzy. But he did see battle plans. Plans for the invasion of the Summerset Isles, plans to destroy entire cities, plans of assassinations. Plans to slowly dismantle all the resistance while simultaneously lining up his own friends and compatriots for untimely deaths.

Though the Gray Fox couldn't see what Claudius's final plan was, he did feel certain emotions. Rage, hatred, fear, disappointment, and... Hope? Hope for what? Hope for a better place, or hope for total destruction? There was no way to tell. The only thing the Gray Fox was completely sure of at that moment was that he would need to get that conversation with Claudius, if only so he could clarify the information in his mind before he succumbed to it and went insane.

**A/N:** _I truly hated writing this, because I wasn't prepared for how busy I would be today, and was very tired by the time I actually got to my computer. Therefore, this probably doesn't look as good as I had first imagined it, but I wanted to quickly get it out of the way, since this is the last side story I need to do before continuing the main arch. Again, this is mostly to tie up loose ends. Two more chapters, an epilogue, and more side stories, is all that's left. Hopefully. I may or may not write more chapters than that since I'm not sure yet what length the final chapters will be._


	26. Chapter 15: Descent into Darkness

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Fifteen: Descent into Darkness_

Vilyn woke up in a forest, covered in bruises. He unsteadily stood up, every part of his body aching with protest. He supposed the stone must have teleported him somewhere with it's last burst of power. The only question was where was he? Vilyn looked around but saw nothing except an endless wave of trees. An explosion in the sky made him jerk his head upwards, just in time to see something soaring across towards him. He covered his head, afraid that whatever it was would hit him, but it passed over him, and at the last moment, Vilyn could see it was a person. No, two people. Vilyn took off running towards the area they had landed in.

---------------

Claudius landed in the middle of the forest outside Skingrad, and set down a dazed and confused Selena. He gave her a moment to regain her balance before beginning to speak rapidly.

"We don't have much time before Berich locates us, so I'll ask you again. Will you help me? If you do, it will mean the end of the Order. The end of all this fighting. You can go back to your father, and everything will be back to normal."

"But... But I thought you said you were still going to cleanse this civilization?"

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that Berich falls. Once that's done, you can decide what you want to do. You don't even have to do it. All you have to do is lend me your power for a short while. That's all."

"How would I do that?"

"You don't have to do a thing. Just stand still like a good girl."

Claudius reached out with his right hand, which was now glowing red. The light was actually pulsating as it came closer to Selena. For one moment, his concentration was focused solely on Selena, and he was oblivious to the outside world. His eyes gleamed with madness, and his smirk turned feral. Selena was terrified, but found that she couldn't move. Just as he was about to grab her shoulder, he jerked back in pain as his severed hand fell to the ground. He stumbled backwards as he held is bloody stump and screamed, more from aggravation than pain.

Standing in front of Selena was Vilyn, his Dai-Katana still dripping with Claudius's blood. He was smiling likehe hadn't ever since arriving in Gardenhall.

"Vilyn you idiot! Do you know what you've done? Get out of my way! I have a date with destiny and some filthy Dunmer won't prevent me from reaching it!"

"With all due respect, Lord Claudius, your order was to prevent any harm from befalling Selena, no matter where it might come from. It looked to me like you meant the lady harm. All I did was prevent it. Besides, I've been looking forward to doing something like that for a very long time."

Vilyn's smirk was wiped off his face as Claudius disappeared and reappeared directly in front of him. Before Vilyn could even raise his sword in defense, he was backhanded away, crashing through three trees before hitting the ground. The Dunmer wasn't dead, but he was most certainly unconscious.

Selena moved to run, but was grabbed from behind by Claudius's now glowing left hand. Her body began glowing red, and an intense pain racked her body, yet she couldn't scream or move. She could only stand there and try to hold on to consciousness. And then it ended. Selena fell to the ground, and turned to look at Claudius, who was still standing in the same position with his hand outstretched. The only difference was that there was now a giant spike in his chest. The spike then withdrew from his body and he fell to his knees, then hit the ground. Behind him stood a massive Nord in a blue cloak. It was Joran, and he looked to be in bad shape. Wounds and cuts covered his body and clothes, burn marks were all over his arms and there were three arrows in his back. Nevertheless, he was standing there as stoic as always, and didn't look like he would fall any time soon.

"Forgot about me, did you? Scum. I returned to Gardenhall without your knowledge, and reported to Berich, who told me to report here so that I might join the battle. The Summerset Isles were lost long ago. Indeed, it looks like the Order as a whole is now lost. But even so, Lord Berich is not dead, and until that day, I shall serve him. And right now serving him means finishing you off."

Joran raised his warhammer above his head and prepared to bring it down on Claudius's head. The warhammer raced downwards, and Selena averted her eyes, but the only sound that came was a surprised grunt. Selena looked back, and Claudius was on his back, holding the warhammer with his remaining hand as Joran struggled to push it downwards. All of a sudden, it did go downwards, but it hit the dirt near Claudius's head. Now, Claudius's hand was wrapped around Joran's arm, and it was glowing red. Joran struggled to free himself, but could not. Selena watched in horror as Joran shriveled and his flesh turned to dust, leaving only his skeleton. Soon, that was dust as well. Claudius got back up and placed his hand over his chest. The wound was gone, and his right hand was back. Claudius began to laugh.

"Darnmon's little spirit was useful after all. I had my doubts that that malevolent being would help any, but it seems I was, for once, mistaken. Too bad it didn't do him any good." Claudius took a small gem from under his cloak. It took Selena only a moment to realize that it was a soul gem, but it's power was rapidly fading. Claudius hastened it, crushing it with his hands. As the shards fell to the ground, Claudius advanced towards her once again.

"Now then, with all our little distractions taken care off, let's get back to business."

"Claudius! Step back!"

Claudius ran both hands through his hair in frustration, but turned and looked up to see Berich hovering above him in the sky.

"You don't know when to quit, do you? Your time is over. The time of the Order is over. The time of these so called Gods is over. I will see to it!"

Claudius raised both his hands and shot a massive stream of fire towards Berich. Berich's eyes began to glow red, and he raised his hand as well. The flames hit his hand, and went off to both sides, into the trees, which were instantly disintegrated. Claudius stared up in shock, before shooting two more streams of blue fire, which met with similar results.

"How! I'm more powerful than you now. This shouldn't be happening."

"That's very true, Claudius. You are more powerful than me. You are not, however, more powerful than the combined et'Ada, that you betrayed." Berich floated to the ground as he continued his explanation. "They explained to me what you hope to accomplish, and we are in agreement. You must die. Your hopes and dreams must be crushed, and there must be no trace of your existence. By the word of the Daedra and Aedra, your corruption ends now."

"You think so do you? You think you and your false Gods can stop true power? You think you can stop the light from winning? If I fall, someone else will come along eventually and accomplish my task. I have guaranteed it."

"What have you done?"

"I have made sure that the et'Ada will never triumph. Now die!"

All three gems in Claudius's possession began glowing, and as he stood there, fire erupted around him. Selena jumped backwards to avoid a jet of flame that had shot up from the ground. When she looked back towards him, fire was swirling around him, and the heat of the area was so great that the leaves on the trees burst into flames. Berich narrowed his eyes and gathered his energy in his hands, the black-white balls of energy pulsating with power. In one movement, Claudius shot all of his power at Berich, leaving him drained. Berich jumped backwards, shooting his energy at the massive maelstrom of fire, but they disappeared inside the wall of flames. Berich tried to continue jumping backwards, but the flames were faster than him. The flames caught him, and when they did, the entire maelstrom converged on his form, swallowing him in fire. The fire continued moving though, towards the city of Skingrad as Berich simultaneously tried to protect himself with his most powerful shields and tried to free himself from the fire.

Claudius then turned around and began stumbling towards Selena, his breathing ragged. "Now then... Where were we?"

---------------

Roland turned towards the nearby forest as the temperature suddenly shot up. Many of the other soldiers turned as well, feeling the heat emanating from the forest. They were now at the walls of Skingrad and had it besieged, though it's defenders weren't doing very much. It was as if they had lost the will to fight.

"Dro'shanji, do you feel that?"

The khajiit, who was standing next to him with a full quiver of arrows once more, turned to look at the forest as well. "Indeed I do, Breton. But it's strange. It's not a forest fire to make that kind of noise."

Aurrus, who was behind the two, leaned forward to listen. "What kind of sound? I can't hear anything."

"It sounds like... Almost like a wave of water. I've never heard... Oh dear."

Roland dropped the sword he had picked up as he stared at the sight in front of him. Many of the other soldiers had similar reactions, though most of theirs consisted of dropping their weapon and running from the massive wave of fire in front of them. The wave of fire was higher than the city wall, and the ground it moved over gleamed like glass. The three stared as everyone around them began running. Roland was quaking with fear, Aurrus looked very impressed and awed, and Dro'shanji was simply standing there watching.

"Why do the Legion men run? It's obvious that that won't hit us. It'll hit the wall."

"I don't know, it's a pretty intimidating sight. I'd sure like to meet whoever cast that spell."

"How can you two just stand here discussing it like there isn't a massive wave of fire heading in our direction?"

"It's not heading in our direction exactly. The only way that would happen is if it broke straight through the wall and went through the one on this side. Look, it's heading for that corner of the city right there. Fire doesn't break stone, foolish Breton," Dro'shanji said with confidence.

That confidence was shattered as the wave of fire broke cleanly through the wall like it wasn't even there. The next wall shared the same fate, and the fire didn't seem to be slowing down. Without saying a word, Roland took off in the opposite direction, and Dro'shanji wasn't far behind, leaving just Aurrus standing there. "Oh, now this is just not fair."

Aurrus took off after the other two, quickly overtaking Roland, who was lagging far behind since he still wasn't in the best shape. Dro'shanji, being a khajiit, was already far ahead. The wave of fire looked to be rapidly gaining on them though.

---------------

Claudius stared down at the unconscious form of Selena. His facade of a calm and stoic exterior and long since disappeared, replaced with a insane grin and a feral gleam in his eyes. He was now experiencing power like he had never seen before. It was overpowering, and he could hardly believe he possessed it.

"Well now, thank you dear girl. I truly owe you. For this magnificent power you've given me, I won't kill you. Instead, I'll simply leave you here with Vilyn and the fire. I'll leave your fate up to your precious Gods. They won't save you, but at least you'll have a few more moments of your worthless life. Now I'll have my revenge. I'll kill them all. Everyone. Everything. From this planet to the heavens above. The Aedra will pay. I'll make them pay for everything. Then the Daedra are next. They say they're unkillable, but once I absorb the power of the Aedra as well, nothing will be able to stand against me, not even all of them combined. Again, thank you for everything."

---------------

Just before the wave of fire reached the Legion army, it exploded it a blast of light. The fire disintegrated, and in it's place stood Berich, his silver armor completely blackened by the fire. Yet he was still alive. He was still alive, and in the face of a much more powerful enemy than he had first expected, the et'Ada were granting him more power. His body was degrading rapidly now, and his life was now measured in weeks. And with each spell he cast, his lifespan would drop. He had to kill Claudius quickly. This battle couldn't afford to be drawn out. If it did, he would die, and then no one would be able to stand up to Claudius.

**A/N:** _Another chapter done. Oh, who am I kidding. This entire chapter was practically one giant battle scene. Oh well. Everything will be explained in chapter 16. Well, not everything. Mostly just Claudius's motives. Actually, they're probably already obvious, but I'll simply enlighten everyone with a nice, long explanation on the specifics. I'm sure you all are looking forward to that right? Though I'm sure most of you just want to see the conclusion of the battle, right? Well, I'll deliver both, hopefully in a longer chapter than this was. But first, Joran's side story!_


	27. Side Story 11: Joran

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Side Story Eleven: Joran_

Joran walked the halls of Gardenhall, silently passing the occasional guard or recruit that had found himself lost and hadn't yet learned to teleport. Gardenhall was much less active than it had been, only a short while ago. The Order had taken massive casualties during the cleansing of Akavir. Nearly three-quarters of their military strength had been lost, and the entire group of Lords that had existed before it had essentially been replaced, with the exception of Lord Riev. A great many Lieutenants had died as well, and now people unfit to take the reigns of leadership were in place. If things continued to go as they were, the battle for Cyrodiil would be bloody indeed. Joran had taken his fair share of wounds during the cleansing, and indeed, if not for the timely interference of Berich, the Ka Po' Tun probably would have killed him. The giant tiger-folk were fierce warriors and far outmatched the Order soldiers, not to mention the slave-soldiers. Only the elite could take them on one on one. The problem was that even then, they were outnumbered. Despite the near constant state of war in Akavir, the creatures there had wasted no time in forming a single, unified defense against the invaders of their soil. For the most part it wasn't even a battle, it was a massacre. And when Berich and the Council arrived, it was still a massacre, only then the tides had turned. They had single handedly wiped nearly the entire force of enemies away. Even Claudius had taken part in the battle, and he very rarely does anything himself.

Then Tosh Raka, the tiger-dragon god-ruler of the Ka Po' Tun came to the field of battle, and he very nearly overpowered the combined forces of the Council, until Malinus succeeded in destroying one of his wings and dropping him into the ocean, which was his territory. In short order, he drowned Tosh Raka in an inescapable ball of water, and then displayed his corpse for all to see. It rallied the few remaining troops of the Order and struck fear into the hearts of all people in Akavir. The beings that have been said to feel no fear ran for their lives as they were utterly destroyed. No one even bothered trying to capture them, as their physiology was so different from the people in Cyrodill that even Rasien couldn't make them slave-soldiers. It might have also had something to do with the fact that none of the creatures would allow themselves to be taken alive.

But that was all in the past. The preparations for the cleansing of Cyrodiil was nearly complete, and Joran was looking forward to what would most likely be a much easier campaign. After all, the creatures of Akavir were twice the warriors the Legion were, and they would be the only thing standing in their way. Soon, Joran would witness the final cleansing performed by Berich, and then life would sprout anew. The slave soldiers that survived would have their memory completely wiped by Claudius, and then they would be set free to rebuild their lands from nothing. Akavir would forever be an empty wasteland, but the heathen beings there weren't worthy of life anyway. The very existence of the Ka Po' Tun offended Akatosh.

Joran had been waiting for this day for his entire life. He would witness the rebirth. It was an event very few people had the luck to see, as it only happened once in many, many generations. He had even heard rumors that they would be visited by images of the Gods themselves and thanked for their efforts. It was most likely nonsense, but it was an interesting thought. Joran had always wondered what the Aedra truly looked like.

Joran arrived at his room and quickly opened the door, then closed it behind him. He was immediately assaulted as a scruffy looking dog jumped up on him, wagging it's tail. Joran petted him on the head, then went over to his desk and began to write his report to Berich as the dog curled up at his feet. Normally pets weren't allowed in Gardenhall, but Joran was an exception, being a Lord, and besides, the dog was quiet and well behaved. After finishing his report, he walked over to his bed and went to sleep, hoping to get at least a few hours in before his next assignment.

---------------

Joran woke to the sound of his dog growling. He looked up to see Claudius standing over him, with his typical smirk.

"What is it, four?"

"Berich requests your presence immediately. We've located her, and you're to go and fetch her. The invasion begins now. We're going to speed things up. Please make sure the girl isn't harmed though. She's very valuable."

Joran frowned but before he could respond, Claudius teleported away. He got up and put his armor and cloak on, then picked up his warhammer and teleported to Berich's room. When he arrived, Berich was sitting as this desk with his hood down, smiling. Joran walked forward, not unsettled in the least by Berich's strange visage.

"The invasion begins now, milord? Why wasn't I informed?"

"It was a recent decision. You are to go to Chancellor Ocato's mansion and secure a young girl for me by the name of Selena Jucanis."

Joran grimaced upon hearing her last name.

"Yes, she's the daughter of Lucius. I don't know how I didn't see it before. It was right in front of me the whole time. We've been observing her for a while, though I wasn't completely sure until recently. You will go and retrieve her from the mansion before Darnmon slaughters them all. Render her unconscious, then report back to me for further orders."

"Yes milord."

---------------

Joran watched the house Selena was supposed to come out of from a nearby rooftop. She was late. The coronation had already started, and it would only be a matter of minutes before Darnmon took action. Just as he was about to drop down and take her by force, she exited the house and ran down the street, hurrying towards Ocato's mansion. Joran couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. At this point she was far from fashionably late. Of course, Joran was never late at all, so he really didn't know what would be considered fashionably late, be he assumed she was past that point.

He jumped down from the roof and hurried after her. After nearly a minute he caught up to her. He couldn't help but thing that she was an admirably fast runner, considering she was in a dress. He shot a simple paralysis spell at her back, and she then collapsed onto the ground. He then put the young girl across his shoulder and teleported away.

---------------

Joran arrived in Berich's room and put the girl down in one of the nearby chairs. "Here she is milord."

At hearing no response, Joran turned around, and instead of seeing Berich, he saw Claudius, sitting at his desk.

"What are you doing in Lord Berich's seat? Get up. Have you no respect?"

"I'll take the girl from here. Your next assignment, as per Lord Berich's orders, is to go to this location and slaughter the people inside. You have the honor of silencing the Dark Brotherhood. Congratulations. Alexia would probably kill you for that job."

Joran walked over and took a piece of paper off of Berich's desk, with instructions on how to get to the Sanctuary, and then how to gain entrance, as well as a few additional orders. "Very well then. What will you do to the girl?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't. But I'm still curious."

"I'm going to do a little work with her memories and mind, then I'll show her to Berich. Nothing overly important."

"What exactly are you going to do to her mind? I've heard of some of your experiments, Claudius."

"Just a few modifications to make her a little more... Friendly. Peaceful. Compliant. All things I would normally do to a prisoner."

"As you say. Goodbye then. And get out of Lord Berich's chair!"

Joran then teleported away, leaving a smirking Claudius to his work.

**A/N:** _This will be the final side-story I'll be doing before the final chapter. I'm not sure whether or not I should do some before the epilogue, because I think you already have a good feel for the remaining characters, but we'll see._


	28. Chapter 16: A Cloak of Lies

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works. I also don't own The Dogs of War, which I have shamelessly stolen from Pink Floyd. Hey, they're my favorite band, plus I think the song sort of fits._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Chapter Sixteen: A Cloak of Lies_

Vilyn struggled to rise as everything around him burned. The heat was so great that he could feel his skin burning without even being touched by the flames. He moved forwards a few steps before he collapsed to the ground again. Through the smoke, he could just barely see the outline of a form. The person stood in the middle of the flames, seemingly ignoring them. Everywhere he stepped, the fire died, and eventually he came to step in front of him. As Vilyn's vision blurred, a bright, white light shined all around him.

_Death is not your fate today..._

_---------------_

Berich moved forwards, back towards the forest, when suddenly, a massive stream of blue fire shot at him from out of no where. He reached his hand out towards it, absorbing it into his hand. He then shot it back out of his other hand. The blue fire shot across the ground, only to disappear a dozen feet away from him, where Claudius now stood.

"Tsk. Don't try using my own element against me Berich. You should know better than that."

Berich gathered his energy into his hands, the black and white energy pulsating as he held it. He threw both of them towards Claudius, but just before they reached him, they detonated and caused a massive explosion, leaving two house sized craters where Claudius had stood. Only now, he was behind him. Berich felt a stream of fire hit him in the back, and he was thrown forwards into the craters he had just caused. He got back up as Claudius stood above him.

"Stop Claudius. You can't hope to defy the Gods. Whether I kill you or they do, you won't succeed."

"Oh, I know I'm going to die. That's what I'm hoping for, the peaceful embrace of death. I'm sick and tired of this pathetic existence of lies and torture." He grasped at his cloak and tore it off, revealing... Nothing. Where his body should have been, there was only energy forming a vague outline of a figure. It was already destabilizing from the massive influx of power. Berich stared in shock at the sight.

"You... You won't even live long enough to do anything. Five minutes at the most, and you'll be dead!"

"No... No, I'll simply shed this meaningless existence. I've ensured that my soul shall retain all this power, and once I die, I'll go to Aetherius. Only, Magnus won't allow me access. I'll be turned away and left in flux. But with this power, I can punch a hole in the nothingness and gain access to the land of the Gods. I'll kill every one of them, and once I've done that, I'll take care of the Daedra as well. After that, who knows what I'll do. Maybe I'll go to Aetherius and attempt to kill Magnus. Maybe I'll simply kill myself. Whatever I do, my goal will be accomplished."

"But why? Why do you hate the Gods so much?"

"Because they left me to this life! They created us solely to be their tools of destruction. That's what we're here for, nothing else. I'm tired of it. Oh so very tired. Do you know what this cloak represents, Berich? It represents the centuries of servitude we were forced into, and all the lies they told us to continue that servitude. They said we were doing it to protect the world and it's inhabitants, but all we're doing is continuing to massacre innocent people for no other reason than because they're there. Because the Aedra are afraid. They're terrified that someday the people of Cyrodiil will gain enough power to dethrone them from their eternally peaceful heaven. They're afraid of the Daedra taking their place. And the Daedra, for their part, are afraid of no longer having influence over mortal creatures."

"Even if that's true, you own everything you are, everything you've accomplished, to the. You wouldn't exist without them."

"That's the point! I don't want to exist. I don't want to be what I am. I don't want to accomplish anything else. Do you know why? Because all we've accomplished is the death of trillions and the corruption of our own souls. I'm done. I won't do it anymore. I can't. I'm going to kill the Gods and all the people left on this planet. I'll wipe everything clean. No more superior beings and no more people to worship them. They'll be forgotten, and finally the cycle will have been broken. The people may learn to worship some other being. Frankly I don't care, because nothing else has the power to do what the so called Gods have done."

"You would turn your back on the Gods just because you can't take your mission anymore?"

"I turn my back on the Gods because they turned their back on me! They left us here to rot, with no sign that this torture would ever end. So I forced the issue. This... 'Mission' as you say, has destroyed everything that I am, that I was created to be. Over the recent decades, I have felt my will and my sanity slowly slipping away, and every person I witnessed killed made it fall a little more. I'm lost in this world. Lost in a place filled with chaos, confusion, and death. Lost in a place that so different from where we began. In the beginning, all this was to make a paradise. A place where there was no war or violence. A place where we could finally rest. Where is that place, Berich? Where is it! It's nonexistent! There will never be a paradise. There will never be peace, and there will always be war. I'm sick of it all, and I'm ending it right now. As long as the Gods watch over this world, no progress will ever be made. People will wage wars and commit crimes in their name, thinking that they are doing the right thing, just as we are right now! Once they're gone and no one remembers them, maybe that paradise can become real. But even then, I'm too far gone to enjoy it. All I have left is one goal, and that is to cleanse everything, no matter what they will be. And now, Berich, you will join the ranks of the fallen!"

Claudius raised his hands and then brought them down, and fire rained down from the skies, hitting everything around him as the ground was scorched and people were burned alive. Berich raised one hand over his head and created a shield. He then walked forwards out of the crater and in his other hand, a sword made of pure light formed. He struck out at Claudius, but he disappeared and reappeared a few feet away. A sword made of fire appeared in his hand and he advanced forwards, only to dissapear again. He appeared to the left of Berich and brought the sword towards his side, but Berich quickly turned and blocked him with his own sword as fire continued to rain down around him. Then he dissapeared again and appeared on Berich's other side.

Berich dropped his shield and formed another sword in his other hand, this one totally black. The swords made contact in a burst of blue flames as Claudius's sword exploding, forcing Berich back a few steps, right into the path of a falling stream of blue fire. It forced him to the ground, where he remained kneeling for a few moments as Claudius advanced on him. He formed another fire-sword in his hand and put it up to his neck. Berich could feel the fire burning him as he gathered his remaining power in his hands.

"Do you have anything to say before you die, Berich?"

Berich said nothing, but instead the ground below him began to glow. Claudius looked down in confusion, then his eyes widened in recognition as everything around him exploded. Claudius was thrown backwards and nearly knocked unconscious, but he managed to get back up and looked towards where Berich had been. He was gone, and there wasn't a trace of him left. Claudius smirked, then gasped as a sword ran him through, or rather, ran through the energy that barely formed what had been his body. It wasn't Berich's sword though, it was a metal one. Claudius could feel his power slowly draining, and screamed as he unleashed a massive amount of pure magicka, throwing the man and his sword back. Claudius turned to face Lucius, the Champion, and at least a dozen Legionnaires. And behind them were three figures that Claudius vaguely recognized. As Lucius got back up, Claudius's eye twitched, and he rose his right hand into the air. The dozen Legionnaires flew up into the air, screaming and waving their arms about wildly. Claudius then jerked his hand to the right, and they flew away, crashing to the ground a few hundred yards distant. None of them got up. Claudius refocused his attention on Lucius, then motioned with his hand again. A small stone flew from the ground near him into Claudius's outstretched hand. He crushed it easily.

"A soul gem? Do you really think that a soul gem could imprison me? Ridiculous."

"Claudius, you claim you want all the violence to stop, and yet you continue to kill and spread destruction."

"You think only in the short term Lucius. That's always been your problem. I, however, see the long term situation. This world, as it stands, can only fall into more corruption and despair. Better to destroy it now and create a better world for the next generation."

"And what happens when you see the next generation and decide that they aren't good enough as well? Will you destroy them too? You're leading yourself into a never-ending cycle, Claudius. You'll become exactly what it is you're trying to destroy."

"Silence!"

Claudius disappeared and reappeared directly in front of him, his fire-sword reformed, swinging down at his neck. A moment later, an arrow slammed into his chest, then another, and another, each forcing him back a step as he looked in shock at the people firing at him. Aurrus and Dro'shanji were continuing to reload, firing arrows at him for completely different reasons. Aurrus did it because he saw it as his duty to the Night Mother, while Dro'shanji did it simply because he knew he would die otherwise, and he very much liked his life.

Claudius motioned with a hand, and they both flew backwards into the dirt. Another motion, and the arrows freed themselves from his barely intact body and fell to the ground.

"At first, you might have been useful to me. Now, I no longer require you. Since I no longer require you, death is your only option."

Claudius raised one flame filled hand and prepared to throw his fire at the two as they struggled to stand, only to find himself impaled once more, by a different sword. Claudius backhanded Roland away, knocking the brave-for-a-moment Breton unconscious.

"I'm tired of this nonsense."

Claudius threw the fire down at the ground, making it spread all around him, slowly engulfing everyone, the Champion included. As the four were incinerated by the flames, a bright flash of light blinded him, and then everything went still.

---------------

Selena and Vilyn walked behind the mysterious person who was cloaked in gray. They had been walking in a tunnel made of pure white for what seemed like hours, and Selena was under the assumption that this was Aetherius and that she was dead. She was only half right, as a moment later they appeared back in Cyrodiil, a good distance away from where they had been before. As her eyes adjusted to the change in light, she noticed two things. One, everything was a strange shade of gray. And two, she was standing right in front of Claudius, who had a sadistic smirk on his face.

She looked around in horror at the burning bodies, one of which was her father. She ran over to the gray-cloaked figure who was now standing near Claudius, observing his still form. She tugged on his cloak as tears formed in her eyes, but the person didn't even glance at her.

"Please... What's going on? What's happening? Please tell me? Is this my fault? Did I cause this?"

A booming voice answered her, but it wasn't anything she could hear. Indeed, it was in her mind, and she stumbled backwards in shock.

_Yes, you could say that this is your fault, since Claudius is using your power. You see, you shouldn't exist. You weren't in the plans of the __et'Ada__, you simply came to be. As such, you possess powers far greater than any other being, since no __et'Ada__ dictated your life and placed limitations on you. Indeed, you could very well become a god at some point. Claudius seized this power from you and is using it to accomplish his goals, which are, in a way, justified. He is quite right. The et'Ada have indeed been afraid of mortals taking their place and so created the Order of the Blue Rose to destroy them whenever they became a threat. However, I don't think he realizes just what his actions will cause. If he does succeed in killing the et'Ada, everything will be destroyed, as the et'Ada form the very base on which this world is constructed. If they were to be destroyed, there would be no life of any sort. Neither would magicka exist in any form. In essence, all would be lost. It saddens me that he thinks this is the only course of action, but it saddens me more that I now have to intervene._

"Intervene? Can you save my father?"

_I can._

"Please do it!"

_Why? It isn't necessary. His life or death will make no impact anymore._

"Because he's my father! Please, you have to save him. Don't you have family?"

_No. However... Since it will make no difference, I will save Claudius's victims. But only the ones here. I have no time to save them all. I can only stay here for a short while before I must return._

"Who are you?"

_It is not a matter of who, but of what. I am Magnus, the last true et'Ada._

_---------------_

All around Claudius, time seemed to reverse itself, as the flames returned to Claudius's hand. Roland, Dro'shanji, and Aurrus were back where they had been standing previously, the Legionnaires that had been throw away were returned, weapons in hand, and Lucius was back, getting up from where Claudius had throw him with his burst of magicka. Only now, instead of Claudius turning around as he had been, he had been lifted up in the air as a figure in a gray cloak grasped him by the throat. Claudius struggled to speak, eyes wide, as he looked at the face of the person in front of him.

_Claudius, you have been accused of high crimes and conspiracies against the et'Ada and your fellow Order members. You are guilty. We have no trial, no jury, no innocent until proven guilty. You are guilty. You are dead._

Claudius's body then exploded into light, and then there was nothing left of him at all.

_But don't worry, Claudius. You shall be allowed into Aetherius, despite your fears. First, however, I believe a little tweaking with your soul is in order, to rid it of your new-found beliefs and power._

Lucius walked forward cautiously, looking around in case Claudius might somehow reappear. "Who are you?"

_No one you need be concerned with, Lucius __Jucanis__. You should be aware that the __et'Ada__ will no longer interfere in your world. Your fates are now your own. Whether you use this opportunity to ascend from your petty differences, or use it to destroy yourselves doesn't matter. Use your chance well, it's the only one you will get. One last thing. There's someone who wants to see you._

There was a flash of light and then he was gone. In his place stood Selena, looking very confused, and behind her, an equally perplexed Vilyn. She rushed forwards into her father's arms, crying. He held her as she cried, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. It seemed that no one there knew exactly what was going on. Perhaps it was better that way.

---------------

Lucius walked down the halls of Castle Skingrad, Vilyn beside him. They entered the Count's room, and Lucius took a seat in one of the chairs while Vilyn stood nervously by the door.

"I've heard that you wished to see me? And I've also heard that you attempted to save my daughters life. Obviously that didn't go so well for you, but I'm grateful nonetheless, and I'm willing to entertain whatever request you may have."

"Yes... Well you see, my daughter is trapped inside Gardenhall. I don't think she was deployed in the battle, because she was always very weak. She must still be there, so I was wondering if you know where it is. Please, can you help me?"

Lucius looked at the desperation written all over Vilyn's face, and sighed.

"Yes, I can help you, but it may take a while to get there. I'm not sure what's happened there though, with everyone regaining their souls. The only way inside the slave quarters aside from teleportation is from above, and that will be tricky to get to, since it means sorting through the ruins of the Imperial City."

"What?"

"Gardenhall was beneath the Imperial City. That's one reason Berich destroyed it, so that Gardenhall would remain undetected. However, I will do all in my power to get there, not only for your daughter but also for everyone else trapped there."

---------------

Roland walked through the streets of Skingrad with Aurrus and Dro'shanji in tow. "So, what do you guys plan on doing now?"

"Dro'shanji must return to the Thieves' Guild to determine who shall be the new Gray Fox."

Roland stopped and looked curiously at the khajiit. "You're in the Thieves' Guild?"

Dro'shanji and Aurrus turned and looked at the Breton, then laughed and continued walking. Roland ran after them, still very confused. "As for myself," Aurrus began, "I must return to the Dark Brotherhood and reform it. After the destruction of all our Sanctuaries, that makes me the new Listener, so now I must go about refilling the ranks. It will take time, but we will eventually return to full strength. What will you do, Roland?"

"Hey, you said my name?"

"Should I not have?"

"Er... No. No, I mean yes, you should have. Anyway, I'm going back to continue on with the Legion and hopefully become a Legionnaire. I may not be much right now, but I want to be able to be something worthwhile. Bravil is gone and I somehow doubt it will ever return, so I have no other place to go."

"Well then Roland, I guess that makes you a future target."

Aurrus and Dro'shanji both laughed at that, though Roland just looked nervous.

---------------

Selena stared out the window overlooking the City of Skingrad. Nothing would ever be the same after the emergence of the Order. People had lost that spark of hope they had retained after the Oblivion Crisis, and now all people could think about was death and despair. Especially since word had recently come regarding massive rebellions all across the Empire. The Aldmeri Dominion also seemed to be reforming from the ashes, and no one knew what had happened to all the Legions stationed on foreign lands. The Empire was crumbling all around her, and nothing would stop it. Everything would descend into anarchy soon, so it seemed that Claudius had gotten what he had wanted after all. The collapse of the latest civilization.

Selena sighed and stared down at the broken wall of Skingrad, and then at the field outside, where all of the corpses hadn't even been retrieved yet. War would continue as it always had, and this slaughter was merely the tip of the iceberg. Before all of this, she would have never imagined such a scenerio happening, but it was obvious now that nothing would stop it. Which lead to the question, what would she do about it? Would she continue as she had, not trying to stop any of it from happening, or would she get involved?

She looked down at her hand, which had formed an odd ball of energy; a mixture of black and white energy, almost exactly like Berich's had been. The energy dissipated after a few moments and she continued to stare down at the field. There were so many things she could do. Now it was only a matter of choosing which option was best.

* * *

Dogs of war and men of hate  
With no cause, we don't discriminate  
Discovery is to be disowned  
Our currency is flesh and bone  
Hell opened up and put on sale  
Gather 'round and haggle  
For hard cash, we will lie and deceive  
Even our masters don't know the webs we weave

One world, it's a battleground  
One world, and we will smash it down  
One world ... One world

Invisible transfers, long distance calls,  
Hollow laughter in marble halls  
Steps have been taken, a silent uproar  
Has unleashed the dogs of war  
You can't stop what has begun  
Signed, sealed, they deliver oblivion  
We all have a dark side, to say the least  
And dealing in death is the nature of the beast

One world, it's a battleground  
One world, and we will smash it down  
One world ... One world

The dogs of war don't negotiate  
The dogs of war won't capitulate,  
They will take and you will give,  
And you must die so that they may live  
You can knock at any door,  
But wherever you go, you know they've been there before  
Well winners can lose and things can get strained  
But whatever you change, you know the dogs remain.

One world, it's a battleground  
One world, and we will smash it down  
One world ... One world  
One world ... One world

* * *

**A/N: **_And here's the final chapter. Ok, so admittedly, the character's different endings are a bit cliche and almost a deus ex machina, but it works overall, I think, making me somewhat happy with the ending. Plus the song helped. Ah, I love Pink Floyd. I think the song fits the Order and the overall story fairly well, except for one small line which can be overlooked. Anyway, I've decided to not do any side stories between this and the epilogue. If I do, and that's an if, it'll be it's own fic. One last thing, I'd like you to imagine, when you read those lyrics, credits scrolling down the screen. I'm going for the whole movie effect here, with the epilogue being the after credits teaser! Heh. Yeah, anyway, there won't be any author's notes for the epilogue, so I'd like to go ahead and thank my reviewers and readers, especially Crisium and Shadowwolf, who have both been here for the majority of the story and who have continued reviewing and giving me their opinions, Crisium especially. I'd also like to thank James, Adam, and Aaron, my friends who have taken time out of their lives to read this and give me their opinions as well. Finally, I'd like to thank the rest of my reviewers, the small but great group that they are, and everyone else reading who hasn't left a review. One thing I'd like to apologize for is the numerous amount of typos and spelling errors scattered throughout this fic. My fault for not using a Beta. Anyway, once the epilogue is up, I'll do a full go through of the entire fic and fix all the ones I can find to make it an overall smoother read, just in case someone happens to read this once it drops off the first page._

_One chapter and A Cloak of Lies will officially be completed. Afterwards, I'll continue a bit with the City of Shadows and A Field of Crimson, and I will make a prequel to this at some point over the summer. Again, thanks for your time everyone!_


	29. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** _I obviously don't own Oblivion. Bethesda Game Studios does, and as one of their loyal followers and forum members, I would never dare claim ownership of any of their works._

**A Cloak of Lies**

_Epilogue_

Gardenhall was empty. The halls were silent, the rooms deserted, even the slave quarters were dead. Not a sound disturbed the beings that would spend their eternal rest there. Not a sound. There was a great flash of white light in the council chambers, and suddenly there were once more ten figures sitting there. But these were not Order members. Five were garbed in darkness, their features shrouded and concealed, while four others were hidden by light, only the outline of their figures visible. The final being wore a gray cloak, but nothing could be seen of his face.

_And so the Order ends, as shall our rule. Perhaps Stendarr was too quick in conceiving his plan. Perhaps Akatosh and Arkay were correct in saying we were no longer needed in the realm. Our time appears to be over._

_Nonsense Kynareth. We shall always be needed. Even Akatosh was forced to accept this when the foul Mehrunes Dagon threatened them, and through them, us._

_Mehrunes was not foul, he simply was doing what he knew best. Sowing discord and chaos. In that case he decided his presence was necessary, just as your Akatosh did, Zenithar._

_How very predictable for the Daedra to defend the Daedra. And here I thought Mehrunes was hated, hmm? Honestly Namira, why do you even bother?_

_Bother with what?_

_Coming here. Taking the place of someone much more... Qualified. Like Meridia. She was so much more pleasant._

_For the same reason you haven't brought Akatosh or Arkay I imagine. She didn't agree with the Order to begin with. And indeed, looking at the state of the world now, I too must wonder. Regardless of that though, I believe you were much too hasty in interfering with Claudius, Magnus._

_What would you have had me do?_

_Wait and see._

_That's very foolish of you Namira. You know exactly what would have happened should Claudius have succeeded._

_I don't need you to chastise me, Azura. What would have happened is that he would have destroyed all the Aedra. It wouldn't have been terribly hard to kill him afterwards._

_Perhaps... Yet I don't think it would be wise to allow the Aedra to be destroyed. However much you all may hate them, the mortals still require their existence. At the most all I would want is the stripping of their powers._

_Thank you Azura. I appreciate that not all of the Daedra are mindless fools reminiscent of Mehrunes._

_Of course, Zenithar._

_All right, that's enough. We are here today for a very specific reason. The girl, Selena. What shall be done with her? While the other humans are still relatively powerless, she could become powerful enough to accomplish Claudius's goal. Do we really want to allow her to exist?_

_You forget, Magnus, that you already made the promise of non-interference with the mortals._

_And you forget, Hircine, that no promise made to mortals need be held. I shall call a vote, and you shall represent your respective groups in this regard. Should we, or should we not allow the existence of Selena Jucanis and those like her, with the knowledge that chaos shall eventually be sown because of them? Azura?_

_Let them live, I say. Many lives were saved because of her, and I believe the essence of her soul is just._

_Hircine?_

_Give them their lives. They have yet to play the Game and take the Test, so they have not been proven worthy of my attention._

_Nocturnal?_

_Destroy them. They shall cause trouble in the future for us, I can see it._

_Namira?_

_I agree. Destroy them. Their attempts at saving this planet in the future shall only cause the deaths of thousands. This world does not need saving, not from them._

_Boethiah?_

_I concur with Hircine. They have yet to show their true prowess yet, and the mortal soul can only truly be read during times of great danger. Now that they have awakened, let them experience it again so that we may observe them._

_Zenithar?_

_Destroy them. I warn you all now that their continued existence will only put the world in more danger._

_Stendarr?_

_Spare them. Though they destroyed my Order, I must now agree with Akatosh. Our continued interference will only cause more hardships._

_Julianos?_

_Destroy them. Logic dictates that the only outcome of their existence is the perpetuation of further wars and bloodshed._

_Kynareth? The decision is yours._

_I say spare them. They haven't done anything to deserve our wrath yet, except exist, and do we truly have the right to condemn beings for existing?_

_Very well then, they shall be spared destruction. There is, however, one final matter we should attend to, one I haven't yet informed you all of. Before I destroyed Claudius, I gleaned a disturbing piece of information from his mind. Somewhere in Cyrodiil there is a person he infused with some of his memories and powers. This person he has shielded from our view, most likely with some Daedric artifact he secured. I cannot locate him, but I know he exists. This person is an extreme danger and will require our interference. From this point on, I want all of you to be watchful for anything strange occurring in Cyrodiil. That will obviously be much harder now, but I have faith that you will all ignore the promise I made and continue to influence mortal events. This is acceptable. However, I want no physical involvement from any of you. If I ever witness another invasion or summoning, I will come and strip you all of your powers. I hope you can understand what will happen to you after that._

* * *

Varus walked along the streets of the city of Skingrad, staring up at the castle with a gleam in his eye. Ever since that strange man had visited him, he had felt weird. Almost as if his body was changing. Honestly, the man had scared him, but his offer was irrefusable. He would finally be able to get off the streets and become someone important. There wouldn't be any more begging for food and clothes. He would be able to take everything he wanted. And all he had to do was be a test subject for a spell.

Varus hadn't even felt the spell when the man had shot him with it, and he hadn't noticed any changes then. The man guaranteed him that the spell would grant him what he wanted, smirked, and then teleported away in a flash of light. The teleportation more that anything had shocked him. He had always thought teleportation was impossible without a scroll, and even then it was illegal. It made him wonder if he had made the right decision. Now though, he knew he had been correct.

He flexed his hand as it burst into blue flames, then dissipated it. Some day, he would take that castle as his own. Some day, when everything was ready. He would make plans for it, and they would be flawless as always. The pieces would be ready, the board would be set, and then, then the game could begin...


End file.
